yy 


SCHOOL  ELOCUTIOI^ 


A   MANUAL   OF 

VOCAL  THAINING  IN  HIGH  SCHOOLS,  NORMAL 

SCHOOLS,  AND  ACADEMIES 


BY 

JOim  SWETT 

PRINCIPAL  OF  THE  SAN  FRANCISCO  GIRLS'  HIGH  AND  NORMAL  SCHOOL 

EX-STATE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION,  STATE  OF 

CALIFORNIA  ;    AUTHOR  OF  "  METHODS  OF  TEACHING  " 


NEW   YORK 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS,  FRANKLIN   SQUARE 

1886 


Copyright,  1884,  by  A.  L.  Bancroft  &  Co. 
EDUCATION  DEFT. 


PREKACE. 


This  book  is  not  an  elaborate  treatise,  designed  for  special  teach- 
ers of  elocution,  but  a  drill-book  of  essentials  for  use  by  teachers 
that  do  not  make  elocution  a  specialty.  In  most  High  and  Normal 
schools,  and  in  the  advanced  Grammar  grades,  the  curriculum  is  so 
crowded  that  there  is  no  time  for  the  special  training  given  by 
professional  teachers  of  elocution  to  select  classes  of  private  pupils. 

The  time  generally  allotted  to  reading  and  elocution  seldom  ex- 
ceeds that  allowed  for  'vocal  music — perhaps  one  or  tv/o  hours  a 
week.    Hence  the  successful  training   of   large    classes    involves    a, 
great  deal  of  concert  drill;  and  this  requires  the  use  of  a  suitable 
manual  of  principles,  directions,  and  drill  exercises. 

This  treatise  owes  its  existence  to  the  difficulties  met  with  in 
the  management  of  a  very  large  High  school,  including  a  post- 
graduate Normal  department,  in  which  an  honest  effort  has  been 
made  to  secure  a  fair  degree  of  attention  to  school  reading  and 
elocution. 

Eully  realizing  the  limitations  of  teachers  in  similar  schools,  I 
have  endeavored  to  keep  within  the  bounds  of  what  it  is  possible 
to  accomplish  without  making  elocution  a  hobby.  The  salient 
points  of  this  hand-book  are  as  follows 

1.  It  includes  only  what  it  is  possible  to  take  up  without  material 
interference  with  the  ordinary  school  curriculum. 

2.  It  embraces  only  what  pupils  of  average  ability  are  capable  of 
comprehending  and  mastering. 

3.  It  includes  a  fair  outfit  of  principles  and  practice  for  those 
who  intend  to  become  teachers. 

4.  It  can  be  effectively  used  by  teachers  who  are  not  specialists 
in  elocution. 


IV  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

5.  It  contains  clear  and  concise  statements  of  principles  and 
rules. 

6.  It  is  characterized  by  the  copiousness  and  freshness  of  the 
illustrative  drill-examples. 

It  was  my  good  fortune,  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  to  be  a 
student  under  that  most  critical  and  scholarly  elocutionist  and  Nor- 
mal-school instructor.  Professor  William  Eussell;  and  it  is  natural 
that  I  should  follow  in  the  steps  of  my  revered  instructor.  I  am  also 
indebted  to  many  excellent  manuals  on  elocution  for  principles  and 
examples  that  constitute  the  common  stock  of  matter  on  this  sub- 
ject. 

I  am  under  obligations  to  the  publishers  of  the  works  of  Ameri- 
can authors  for  permission  to  make  short  extracts  from  their  pub- 
lications, and  in  particular,  to  Houghton,  Mifftin  &  Co.,  for  extracts 
from  Longfellow,  Whittier,  Holmes,  Lowell,  and  Emerson. 

JOHN  SWETT. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I.    ORTHOPHONY  AND  ORTHOEPY. 

I.    Introductory  Hints  and  Directions 11 

II.  Vowel  Sounds          .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .15 

III.  Consonant  Sounds 35 

IV.  Classification  of  Elementary  Sounds 39 

V.    Orthoepy 45 


PART  11.    PRINCIPLES  IN  ELOCUTION. 

CHAPTER  I.     EMPHASIS,    PAUSES,    AND  INFLECTIONS. 


I. 
II. 


Emphasis 

Pauses     . 

I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 


III.    Inflection 


Grammatical  Pauses    . 
Rhetorical  Pauses 
Rules  for  Rhetorical  Pauses 
Emphatic  Pauses 


I.    The  Rising  Inflection  . 
II.    The  Falling  Inflection 
ni.    Inflection  of  the  Parenthesis 
ly.   The  Circumflex  Inflection 

V.    The  Monotone    . 

VI.   Examples  of  Pauses,  Emphasis,  and  Inflection 


57 

64 

65 

65 

69 

73 

75 

82 

95 

109 

111 

119 

128 


CHAPTER  11.     FORCE  AND   STRESS. 

I.    Force  of  Voice 141 

I.    Very  Soft  Force 144 

II.    Soft  or  Subdued  Force 144 

III.  Moderate  Force 147 

IV.  Loud  Force 149 

V.  Very  Loud  or  Declamatory  Force          .         .         .         .151 
II.    Stress  of  Voice .         .  155 

I.   Radical  Stress     . 155 

II.   Median  Stress 165 

III.  Vanishing  Stress 172 

IV.  Thorough  Stress 175 

V.   Compound  Stress 180 

VI.  Intermittent  Stress      .         .        .         .         .        .        .  181 

(V) 


VI 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


L 

IL 

III. 

IV. 

y. 


I. 

II. 

in. 

IV. 

y. 
yi. 
yn. 


CHAPTER  in.    MOyEMENT. 

Moderate  Movement 187 

Fast  Movement 189 

Very  Fast  Movement       .         .         ...         .          .         .  191 

Slow  Movement       .        .         .         .- 194 

Very  Slow  Movement       .         .         .         ...         .         .  195 

CHAPTER   ly.     PITCH   OF  yOICE. 

Introductory 199 

Concert  Drill 200 

Faults    . 201 

Examples  of  Middle  Pitch 201 

Examples  of  High  Pitch 203 

Examples  of  Low  Pitch  .         .       ,  .         .         .         .         .         .209 

Examples  of  Very  Low  Pitch 211 


CHAPTER  y 

I.  Pure  Tone 

II.  The  Orotund 

III.  Aspirated  Quality  . 

IV.  Guttural  Quality    . 
v.  The  Falsetto  . 
VI.  The  Semitone 


QUALITY  OF  yOICE. 


216 
220 
230 
237 
238 
239 


CHAPTER  VI.     MODULATION"  AND   STYLE   OF  EXPRESSION. 

I.  Modulation 215 

II.  The  Reading  of  Poetry    .         . 248 

III.  Imitative  Reading 255 

IV.  Exercises  in  Modulation 259 

y.  Dialect  Reading  and  Personation 262 


PART  III.    MISCELLANEOUS  SELECTIONS. 

SECTIOX   I.     PROSE  SELECTIONS. 


1. 

Elocutionary  Training      . 

277 

2. 

-Good  Reading 

John  S.  Hart 

279 

3. 

The  Music  of  the  Human  Yoice 

.     Prof,  Wm.  Russell 

280 

4. 

The  Art  of  Reading 

.  Dr.  Rush 

281 

5. 

On  Learning  by  Heart 

Lusliington 

283 

6. 

School  Libraries       .         .         . 

286 

7. 

Poems 

Oliver  IVcndell  Holmes 

287 

SCHOOL    ELOCUTION". 


Vll 


8.  Scrooge  and  Marley 

9.  Defense  of  Poetry     . 

10.  Falstaff   .         .         .         . 

11.  Wealth    .         .         .         . 

12.  The  Astronomer's  Vision 

13.  Education 

1 4.  Mathematics  and  Physics 


.    .       Charles  Dickens 

JFiliiam  Ellery  Channincj 

Henry  Giles 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson 


Professor  Huxley 
.  Herbert  Spencer 


288 
293 
296 
298 
300 
302 
304 


SECTION   IT.     PROSE  DECLAMATIONS. 


1.  Character  of  True  Eloquence 

2.  National  Greatness  .  '      . 

3.  The  Passing  of  the  Rubicon 

4.  Our  Duties  to  Our  Country 

5.  The  x\merican  War  . 

6.  Freedom .... 

7.  The  Voices  of  the  Dead    . 

8.  Grattan's  Reply  to  Mr.  Corry 

9.  Supposed  Speech  of  John  Adams 

10.  The  Constitution  and  the  Union 

11.  The  Constitution 

12.  Duties  of  American  Citizens 

13.  Labor      ...         . 

14.  The  Future  of  America    . 

15.  Patriotism 

16.  The  Fourth  of  July  . 

17.  True  Greatness 

18.  The  Normans  . 

19.  Washington's  Birthday    . 

20.  Nations  and  Humanity    . 

21.  Character  of  Washington 

22.  Bunker  Hill  Monument  . 

23.  The  Birthday  of  Washington 

24.  The  National  Clock 

25.  Free  Schools   . 

26.  The  Ballot       . 

27.  Educational  Power  . 

28.  Schools  and  Teachers 

29.  Elements  of  the  American  Government 


.  Daniel  Webster 
John  Bright 
Knoiules 
.  Daniel  Webster 
.  Lord  Chatham 
Col.  E.  D.  Baker 
.     Orville  Dewey 


.  Daniel  Webster 

.  Daniel  Webster 

.  Daniel  Webster 

.  Daniel  Webster 

Orville  Deicey 

.  Daniel  Webster 

.    T,  F.  Meagher 

.  Daniel  Webster 

Thomas  Starr  King 

Frederick  P.  Tracy 

.  Daniel  Webster 

.  Geo,  W.  Curtis 

Phillip)S 

.  Daniel  Webster 

Rufus  Choate 

Thomas  Starr  King 

Horace  Mann 

.     E.  H.  Chapiin 


Daniel  Webster 


307 
308 
309 
310 
311 
312 
313 
314 
315 
317 
317 
318 
319 
320 
321 
322 
323 
325 
326 
327 
328 
329 
331 
332 
333 
334 
335 
337 
338 


SECTION  HI.     RECITATIONS  AND   READINGS:   POETRY. 


The  Crowded  Street 
The  Builders   . 


William  Cullen  Bryant    340 
.      H  W.  Longfellow    341 


Vlll 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


3. 

Psalm  of  Life  . 

//.   JF.  Longfellow 

342 

4. 

Apostrophe  to  the  Ocean  . 

Lord  Byron 

344 

5. 

Battle  of  Waterloo  .         . 

Lord  Byron 

346 

6. 

Santa  Filomena 

.      //.   W.  Longfellov) 

347 

7. 

The  Death  Struggle 

Sir  Walter  Scott 

349 

8. 

Sandalphon      .... 

.      //.   W.  Longfellow 

350 

9. 

The  Old  Continentals       . 

McMasters 

352 

10. 

The  Winds      .... 

IVilliam  Cull  en  Bryant 

354 

n. 

The  Day  is  Done     . 

.         .      H.  W.  Longfellow 

356 

12. 

The  Battlefield         .         . 

William  Cidlen  Bryant 

357 

13. 

Hymn  to  Mont  Blanc 

.    Coleridge 

359 

14. 

Morning  Hymn 

John  Milton 

362 

15. 

Thanatopsis     .... 

William  Cidlen  Bryant 

363 

16. 

Gray's  Elegy   .... 

366 

17. 

Daniel  Webster 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 

371 

18. 

St.  Augustine's  Ladder    . 

.       //.   W.  Longfellow 

373 

19. 

Eing  Out,  Wild  Bells      . 

.    Tennyson 

375 

20. 

Summer  Rain .         .         . 

James  Biissell  Lowell 

376 

21. 

Hymn  to  the  North  Star 

William  Cullen  Bryant 

377 

22. 

The  American  Flag 

Drake 

379 

23. 

The  Chambered  Nautilus 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 

381 

24. 

Kentucky  Belle       .         .         .         . 

Constance  F.  Woolson 

382 

25. 

The  Charcoal  Man  .         .         .         . 

Troivhridge 

389 

26. 

Grandmother's  Story  of  Bunker  Hill 

.    0.  W.  Holmes 

391 

PART   I. 


PART  I. 

ORTHOPHONY  AND  ORTHOEPY. 


SECTION   I. 


INTRODUCTORY  HINTS  AND  DIRECTIONS, 

1.  As  correct  pronunciation  is  an  essential  of  good 
reading,  it  is  important  that  pupils  should  acquire  at 
the  outset  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  elementary 
sounds  of  the  English  language,  and  that  they  should 
be  trained  to  a  ready  command  of  the  organs  of  speech. 

2.  The  melody  of  our  mother-tongue  depends  in  a 
great  measure  on  the  fullness  and  purity  with  which 
the  vowel  sounds  are  given.  The  most  marked  provin- 
cialisms in  our  country  consist  chiefly  in  the  peculiar 
shades  of  sound  given  to  certain  vowels. 

3.  In  high  schools  and  normal  schools,  if  anywhere, 
critical  attention  ought  to  he  given  to  pronunciation. 
It  is  desirable  that  pupils  should  become  familiar  with 
the  diacritical  marks  of  the  dictionary  in  order  that 
they  may  be  able  to  find,  by  themselves,  the  correct 
projiunciation  of  any  word. 

4.  It  is  the  object  of  the  following  lessons  to  train 
(1)  the  ear  to  the  correct  sound ;  (2)  the  voice  to  distinct 
enunciation;  and  (3)  the  eye  to  the  use  of  diacritical 
marks. 

(H) 


12  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

I.    Hints  to  Teachers. 

1.' ',i;ii  ;all  ?,hort' concert  drill  exercises,  require  pupils 
to  stand,'  and  to  stand  erect.  Let  the  concert  drill  be 
preceded  by  a  breathing  exercise. 

2.  Insist  upon  it  that  pupils  hold  the  book  properly 
in  the  left  hand,  high  enough  to  bring  the  head  erect. 

3.  In  the  more  difficult  drill  exercises,  the  teacher 
should  first  read  the  examples,  requiring  pupils  to  repeat 
in  concert.  To  some  extent,  elocution  must  be  taught 
by  iinitation. 

4.  The  true  economy  of  time  in  vocal  culture,  as  in 
vocal  music,  consists  in  training  large  numbers  together. 
The  concert  drill  lessons  may  be  given  to  two  or  three 
hundred  pupils  in  the  assembly  liall  as  effectively  as  to 
a  single  class  in  the  recitation  room. 

5.  The  concert  drill  in  phonic  spelling  is  designed  to 
give  pupils  the  full  command  of  their  vocal  organs,  and 
also  to  secure  accurate  articulation,  enunciation,  and 
pronunciation.  At  first,  it  may  be  desirable  for  the 
teacher  to  lead  the  class,  giving  every  sound  clearly, 
forcibly,  and  distinctly. 

6.  The  grouped  lists  of  words  illustrating  the  vowel 
sounds  should  be  pronounced  distinctly  and  forcibly  by 
the  teacher,  then  by  the  class  in  concert,  and  finally, 
by  individual  pupils.  The  monosyllables  in  these  lists 
should  be  spelled  by  sound,  first  by  the  teacher,  next 
by  the  class  in  concert,  and,  finally,  by  individual  pupils. 

7.  Insist  upon  it  that  pupils  practice  every  lesson,  after 
it  has  been  read  in  school,  at  hom.e,  by  themselves, 

8.  Impress  upon  j)upils  the  fact  that  good  reading, 
like  vocal  music,  requires  long-continued  practice. 

9.  Insist  upon  it  that  pupils,  when  reading,  shall  raise 
their  eyes  from  the  book  when  approaching  the  end  of 
a  sentCTCQ,  and  repeat  the  last  five  or  ten  words  look- 
ing directly  at  the  teacher  or  the  class. 


school  elocution.  13 

11.    Hints  to  Pupils. 

1.  Stand  erect  when  you  read,  and  hold  the  book  in 
your  left  hand,  high  enough  to  bring  the  head  erect. 

2.  By  frequent  inhalations,  keep  your  lungs  well  filled 
with  air. 

3.  Eead  loud  enough  to  be  easily  heard  by  every  mem- 
ber of  your  class.  If  possible,  look  over  the  advance 
lesson  before  the  hour  of  class  drill. 

4.  After  the  class  drill  at  school,  read  each  lesson  by 
yourself  at  home.  You  can  become  a  good  reader  only 
by  patient  and  persevering  practice. 

5.  If  you  have  any  marked  faults  in  reading,  you 
must  endeavor  to  correct  them  by  self-culture  out  of 
school. 

6.  Enter  into  the  spirit  of  whatever  you  read,  and 
read  it  so  as  to  convey  that  spirit  to  those  who  listen. 

7.  Think  about  the  meaning  of  what  you  read.  Eefer 
to  the  dictionary  for  the  definition  of  any  w^ord  you  do 
not  fully  comprehend,  or  for  the  pronunciation  of  any 
word  with  which  you  are  not  familiar. 

8.  Listen  attentively  to  the  reading  of  your  teacher, 
or  of  the  best  readers  in  the  class,  and  try  to  imitate 
their  style  of  reading. 

9.  Train  yourself  to  the  habit  of  raising  your  eyes 
from  the  book  to  look  at  the  teacher  or  the  class.  It 
is  a  matter  of  politeness  to  look  at  those  to  whom  you 
speak,  or  to  whom  you  read.  As  you  approach  the  end 
of  a  sentence,  glance  your  eye  along  the  words  in  ad- 
vance of  the  tongue,  and  then  complete  the  sentence 
without  looking  on  the  book.  It  is  a  good  plan  to 
practice  this  by  yourself  before  a  mirror. 

10.  Endeavor  to  become  so  familiar  with  the  diacrit- 
ical marks  that  you  can  find  out,  for  yourself,  from  the 
dictionary,  the  pronunciation  of  any  word  without  re- 
ferring to  the  key,  the  table  of  sounds,  or  the  teacher. 


14  .SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

III.    Preliminary  Breathing  Exercises. 

Concert  drill  exercises  in  articulation  and  pronunciation 
should  he  preceded  hy  short  breathing  exercises.  These 
may  he  conducted  in  a  great  "variety  of  luays,  of  which 
only  a  few  are  here  indicated.  The  length  of  time  in 
inhaling  or  exhaling  may  he  regidated  hy  the  rise  or  fall 
of  the  teacher  s  hand, 

1.  Stand  erect ;  feet  firm ;  body  braced ;  shoulders  well 
back;  arms  akimbo. 

2.  Inhale  slowly  through  the  nostrils  for  fi\Q  seconds ; 
exhale  slowly  through  the  nostrils  for  five  seconds. 
Eepeat  five  times.  Eegulate  the  inhaling  and  exhaling 
by  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  hand.  In  inhaling,  fill  the 
lower  part  of  the  lungs  and  do  not  elevate  the  shoulders. 

3.  Take  a  similar  exercise,  prolonging  the  time,  first 
to  ten  seconds,  next  to  fifteen  seconds,  and  finally  to 
twenty  seconds. 

4  Inhale;  exhale  slowly,  giving,  in  a  soft  whisper, 
the  sound  of  "  Ah ! "  prolonged  for  five  seconds ;  ten 
seconds ;   as  long  as  possible. 

5.  Inhale;  exhale  slowly,  giving  the  sound  of  long  o, 
in  pure  tone,  prolonged  for  five  seconds;  next  for  ten 
seconds;  then  for  fifteen  seconds;  and  finally,  as  long 
as  possible. 

6-  Inhale;  exliale  slowly,  giving  for  ten  seconds  the 
sound  of  long  e;    of  Italian  a;   of  long  oo. 

7.  Inhale  ;  repeat,  in  monotone,  the  long  vowels,  a,  e,  i, 
0,  u,  until  the  breath  is  exhausted. 

8.  Inhale;  count,  with  one  breath,  to  10;  next,  tb  20; 
then,  to  30. 

9.  Eepeat,  in  one  breath,  the  letters  of  the  alphabet. 

10.  Inhale  slowly ;  exhale  slowdy,  giving  the  sound  of 
liquid  I  prolonged  for  five  seconds;  ten  seconds;  fifteen 
seconds ;  twenty  seconds ;  next,  the  sound  of  m ;  oi  n ; 
of  r. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


15 


SECTION  II. 

VOWEL    SOUNDS    OB    VOCALS. 

I.    Table  of  Diaceitical  Markings. 

I.     PHONIC    MARKS   OF   VOCAI.S. 


Macron. 

Breve. 

Circumflex. 

Two  dots. 

One  dot 

Wave  or 

"-■ 

^ 

A 

•• 

• 

Tilde.  -' 

ale 

at 

air 

arm,  all 

ask,  wLat 

eve,  they 

end 

where 

her 

Ice,   by 

it,  lynx 

pique 

sir 

old 

on 

or 

prove 

son,  \v9lf 

moon 

book 

use 

up 

urge 

rule 

pull 

II.     EQUIVALENT   VOCAI.S    OR    SUBSTITUTES. 

a^o 

what. 

not 

Omii 

done,      sun 

e  =  a 

they, 

day 

0,  u  =  oo 

move,     rule,     school 

ir=e 

sir, 

her 

9,    11  =  00 

W9lf,       pull,     wool 

e=:a 

there. 

care 

y-i 

rhyme,    time 

1  =  6 

pique, 

weak 

y-1 

liymn,     whim 

6  =  a 

or, 

all 

III.     MARKINGS    OF    SUBVOCAI.S    AND   ASPIRATES. 


9,  (;h  =  s,  sh 

qent. 

9]iai§3 

§  =  z 

i§,       ro§e 

€,  -ehr^k 

€ake, 

a-ehe 

51i,  vocal 

fhis,   fbat 

g,  hard 

go, 

get 

n^ng 

ink,    wink 

i^  —J 

gem, 

age 

^l  =  g2 

ej^ample 

16 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


II.    Illustrations  of  Vocals. 

I.     The  long  sound  of  a. 

Marked  with  a  macron,  thus — a.  The  equivalents  of 
long  a  are  also  included.  Avoid  prolonging  the  vanish- 
inGT  e  sound,  thus — ma-eed  for  made. 

age  day  break  great  gauge 

pale  gay  steak  straight 

aid  may  deio^n  weioht 

paid  way 


a're  a 

narked 

may^or 

ma'tron 

ma^cron 


deign 
reifijn 


yea 
neio-h 


freight 


sleigh 


WORDS    OFTEN   MISPRONOUNCED. 


ra'dix 

ra^tion 

pa^tron 

past'ry 

sa^chem 


prai^rie 
■eais^son 
gla'mour 
hein^ous 
pa^tri  ot 


a^pri  cot 
ap  pa  ra^tus 
maelstrom 
pa  tri  ot^ic 
va^ri  e  gat  ed 


n.     Italian  or  open  a. 

Marked  with  two  dots  over  it,  thus — a.     Avoid   the 
provincialism  of  haf  for  half,  laf  for  laugh,  etc. 


art 

^iilf 

palm 

ah! 

gaunt 

launch 

are 

half 

psalm 

bah! 

haunt 

staunch 

arm 

halves 

salve 

paths 

jaunt 

laugh 

alms 

■ealves 

lath 

aunt 

taunt 

qualms 

biilm 

bath 

gape 

daunt 

craunch       zouave 

■ealm 

path 

wrath 

flaunt 

haunch 

hearth 

WORDS   OFTEN 

MIS  PRONOUNCED. 

dauntles 

53 

jiiun^dice 

saun'ter 

Col  0  ra^do 

gua^va 

laun^dry 

jaunt 

V 

Ne  vii^da 

gua^no 

laugh'ter 

pi  a^no 

Mon  talia 

gauntlet 

lla^ma 

so  pri 

i'no 

Tu  la're 

haunt'ed 

piazza 

flna' 

le 

So  la^no 

SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


17 


m.     The  broad  sound  of  a. 

Marked  with  two  dots  under  it,  thus — a.  Avoid  the 
two  extremes :  (1)  That  of  giving  a  the  sound  of  short 
o,  as  oil  for  awl,  etc.  (2)  That  of  making  a  equal  to 
two  syllables,  as  aViil  for  all,  caw'nl  for  call,  etc. 


ball 

■caught 

chalk 

arder 

fau'^et 

tall 

ought 

talk 

alVays 

^aFdrori 

drawl 

brought 

stalk 

au^ger 

faFghion 

€rawl 

thought 

gauze 

€au^-eus 

partry 

sprawl 

groat 

haul 

sau^cjer 

or^der 

IV.     The  short  sound  of  a. 

Marked  with  a  breve,  thus — a.  Avoid  rivincj  short  a, 
as  in  at,  the  sound  of  intermediate  «,  as  in  ask,  or  of 
Italian  a,  as  in  alms.  Say  and,  not  and ;  an^swer,  not 
an^swer,  etc. 


and 

an'swer 

pat'ent 

ra'tion  al 

bade 

bar'rel 

pag'eant 

raille  ry 

€atch 

har^row 

rath'er 

sat^ir  ist 

plant 

niar^ry 

na'tion  al 

suav^i  ty 

plaid 

.  nar'ro  w 

pat'ron  age 

tap'est  ry 

V.     Sound  of  a  as  in  care. 

Marked  with  a  circumflex,  thus — a.  Avoid  the  tw^o 
extremes :  (1)  That  of  giving  it  the  sound  of  Italian  «, 
as  char  for  chair,  thar  for  there,  etc.  (2)  That  of  long 
rt,  as  -ea'er  for  -care,  thaler  for  there,  a^er  for  air,  etc. 


air 

swe^r 

there 

pare 

par'ent 

dare 

square 

where 

pair 

fair'y 

rare 

wear 

their 

fare 

char'y 

f^r 

hare 

hair    ' 

lair 

scarcely 

bear 

pear 

heir 

prayer 

s^ar^qi  ty 

18 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


VL     Intermediate  a,  as  in  ask. 

Marked  with  a  dot  over  it,  thus — a.  This  is  a  medium 
sound  between  Italian  a  and  short  a.  Avoid  the  two 
extremes :  (1)  That  of  Italian  a,  as  iarst  for  fast,  darnce 
for  dance,  etc.  (2)  That  of  short  a,  as  ask  for  ask,  dance 
for  dance,  after  for  after,  etc. 


ask 

€hant 

dance 

graft 

lance 

quaff 

ant 

€hdff 

daft 

grant 

mass 

raft 

aft 

€hance 

draft 

glance 

mast 

rasp 

bask 

€ast 

draught 

gasp 

mask 

shaft 

basque 

€lass 

fast 

grasp 

pass 

staff 

brass 

eraft 

flask 

hasp 

past 

slant 

blast 

•elasp 

glass 

haft 

pant 

task 

casque 

-eask 

grass 

last 

prance 

trance 

I.    WORDS  OFTEN  MISPRONOUNCED. 

In  all  these  words  be  careful  to  give  a  its  intermediate 
sound  as  in  ask,  not  the  short  sound  as  in  and. 


after 

fast'er 

mas^ter 

pass'port 

bas^ket 

fast'est 

mas'tiff 

raft^er 

•eas'ket 

glass'y 

pas'time 

slant'ing 

■elasVes 

grass'y 

pas^tor 

task^vork 

€raft'y 

lasting 

plas'ter 

vast^ness 

-erafts'man 

mass'ive 

past^ure 

waft^ed 

II.    WORDS  OFTEN  MISPRONOUNCED. 


a  slant' 

com  mand' 

ad  van'tage 

a  mass' 

dis  mast' 

ad  vance'ment 

a  las' 

de  mand' 

com  mand'ment 

a  vast 

en  hance' 

en  chant'ment 

ad  vance 

en  chant' 

en  hance'ment 

a  baft' 

per  chance' 

re  mand'ed 

SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  19 

viL     Sound  of  a  as  in  what. 

Marked  with  a  dot  under  it,  thus — a.  This  sound  is 

equivalent   to   short  o,   as   in  not      The  word  wlmt  is 
pronounced  hwot,  not  wiit 

was                  squash                 squab'ble  stal'wart 

wad                  swap                    squat'ter  wal-let 

wasp                swan                    squal'id  wal'low 

yacht                swamp                 squad'rou  wad'dle 

squab               swab                     quar'rel  wan^ton 

squad               wand                    swaFlow  was'sail 
Call  on  the  class  for  additional  words. 


VIII.     The  long  sound  of  e. 

Marked  with  a  macron,  thus — e.      Long  e  is  one  of 
the  three  vowel  extremes,  a  and  o  being  the  other  two. 


be 

thief 

ei'ther 

e'go  tisni 

tree 

niece 

nei'ther 

e'qui  poise 

beam 

siege 

lei'gure 

le'ni  ent 

■clean 

seize 

le'ver 

•  a  me'na  ble 

ear 

deed 

fe'brile 

pre  ^ed^ence 

eaves 

fierce 

fe'ti^h 

re'qui  em 

IX,     The  short  sound  of  e. 


Mai'ked  witla  a  breve,  thus — e. 

Avoid  ylt 

for  yet,  aig 

for  egg, 

eta 

leg 

feoff             leatl/er 

ket'tle 

tep'id 

leg 

anV             meag'ure 

met'ric 

ten'et 

bread 

mer'ry         plea§'ure 

preface 

res'in 

said 

bu/y            bes'tial 

pet'rel 

a  gain' 

says 

heifer          de-e'ade 

per'uke 

a  gainst' 

deaf 

leop'ard       fet'id 

seck'el 

for  get' 

20 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


X.     Sound  of  e  as  in  verge. 

Marked  with  a  wave  or  tilde,  thus — e. 
nearly  coincides  with  the  sound  of  u  as  in 
not  quite  so  broad   and   guttural.      Avoid 
sounding  e  like  ai,  as  airth   for  earth,  etc. 
after  e  its  full  sound. 

earth 

earn 

learn 

heard 

myrrh 

thirst 


err 

serve 

lier 

verse 

herd 

verge 

fern 

verb 

pert 

were 

nerve 

germ 

er^mine 

earn^est 

me/cy 

mer^chant 

per^son 

per^fect 


This  sound 

urge,  but  is 

the    error   of 

Give  the  r 

serv^ant 

ver^dict 

herb^age 

earn^ings 

ser^mon 

ser\dce 


XL     Sound  of  e  as  in  there. 
Marked   with   a   circumflex,  thus — e.      This    sound   is 
identical  with  the  sound  of  a  as  in  care, 
there  air  hair  there%re 


where                    ere                     heir 
their                      e'er                    ne'er 

where%re 
where  a§^ 

XIL     Sound  of  e  as  in  they. 

Marked  with  a  macron  under  it,  thus — e. 
is  identical  with  long  a. 

This  sound 

they             ^vhey             weight             vein 
prey             way               freight             vain 
pray             neigh             straight            deign 

neighbor 

hein'ous 

la'bor 

xiiL     The  long  sound  of  i  and  y. 
Marked  with  a  macron,  thus — I,  y. 
Isle  die  liar  fire 

style  eye  lyre  buy^er 

fire  ties  by  tfny 

lyre  aye§  rye  ,  ty^rant 


ho  rf  zon 
in  quirky 
de  rf  sive 
as  pir'ant 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


21 


XIV.     The  short  sound  of  i  and  y. 

Marked  with  a  breve,  thus — i,  y. 

him  lynx  dis^trict 

,  hymn  nymph  syn^od 

withe  sylph  vine^yard 

myth  rhythm  syringe 

pith  schigm  syn^tax 


trlVune 
syr'up 
vl-c^ar 
pret'tj^ 

witly 


XV.     Sound  of  i  as  in  f  ii'st. 

Marked  with  a  wave  or  tilde,  thus — i.  This  sound  is 

identical  with  the  sound  of  e  as  in  her.  Avoid  giving 

the  broader  and  more  guttural  sound  of  to  as  in  urge. 
Be  careful  to  ^ive  r  its  full  sound. 


first 

birch 

sir 

(^ir^^le 

vir^tue 

thirst 

birth 

fir 

Qir^euit 

virVrin 

girl 

dirge 

stir 

(^ir'eus 

stiil'up 

mirth 

verge 

earn 

glr^dle 

squirlel 

firm 

earth 

fern 

irk^somp 

siiloin 

worm 

myrrh 

learn 

mev^qy 

fhirly 

world 

dearth 

her 

earthly 

worfh'y 

work 

bird 

perch 

early 

ger^tain 

w^orse 

gird 

heard 

earn^est 

mirthlul 

worth 

pearl 

hearse 

earth'en 

w^orthless 

XVL     Sound  of  i  as  in  pique. 

Marked  with   two  dots  over  it,  thus — i. 
is  equivalent  to  that  of  long  e  as  in  me. 


an  tique' 
bas  file^ 
■ea  priQe' 
ghe  n'ille' 
(jhe  mi§e' 
cri  t'ique' 


■eui  §ine 
de  bris' 
e  lite' 
en  nui' 
fa  tigue' 
fas  cine' 


ma  chine' 
ma  fine' 
po  lice' 
pe  tite' 
ob  lique' 
pe  lisse' 


This  sound 

rou  tine' 
ra  vine' 
re  gime' 
ton  tine' 
u  nique' 
phy  §ique' 


22 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


xviL     The  long  sound  of  o. 

Marked  with  a  macron,  thus — 5.  Avoid  shortenincr 
or  obscuring  the  sound  of  long  o  as  in  ohi,  in  such 
words  as  road,  coat,  home,  bone,  stone,  etc. 


bone 

-eolt 

jolt 

yoke 

only 

st5ne 

■e5mb 

most 

yolk 

o'ral 

both 

dolt 

smoke 

quoth 

\^alony 

br5ke 

fdlks 

spoke 

beau 

close'ly 

choke 

hold 

flown 

show 

lonely 

cloak 

home 

whole 

won't 

tro'phy 

croak 

roam 

more 

don't 

o'pal 

oak 

hold 

roar 

goat 

o'dor 

I.    AVOKDS   OFTEN  MISPRONOUNCED. 

Avoid  the  error  of  saying  horse  for  hoarse,  force  for 
force. 


boat 

€oax 

door 

-coarse 

gourd 

blow 

-coat 

load 

floor 

hoarse 

mourn 

trow 

toad 

loam 

brooch 

source 

toll 

glow 

toast 

oath 

pour 

force 

poll 

sew 

road 

oats 

porch 

board 

s-eroll 

quolh 

goad 

throat 

borne 

hoard 

roll 

gross 

II.    TVORDS   OFTEN  MISPRONOUNCED. 

In  words  like  the  following,  avoid  the  error  of  giv- 
ing long  0  the  sound  of  o  as  in  or^der ;  as  bor'der  for 
bdard^er,  for'ger  for  forager,  por'trait  for  por^trait, 
etc.     Give  o  its  full,  long  sound. 


board'er 

por'ter 

an  cho'vy 

de  €ol'ous 

bdwFder 

por'tion 

a  r 0^11  a 

di'  plolua  9y 

bdw'sprit 

por^trait 

ab  dolmen 

di  ploliia  tist 

pourtry 

fo/ger 

■eo  r5'na 

op  po'nent 

poul'tice 

st5r^age 

■eon  ddlence 

so  no'rous 

shoulder 

mourn'er 

€og  no'men 

forager  y 

SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


23 


xviiL     The  short  sound  of  o. 

Marked  with  a  breve,  thus — o.  The  sound  of  short 
0,  as  in  not,  is  slightly  modified  by  the  different  con- 
sonants with  which  it  is  combined.  In  words  like  cough, 
gone,  loss,  etc.,  the  sound  of  short  o  is  modified  so  that 
it  tends  towards  a  sound  intermediate  between  short  o 
and  broad  a.  Avoid  the  common  error  of  saying  davvg 
or  dorg  for  dog;  gawd  or  gord  for  god;  also,  that  of 
gut  for  got,  etc. 


on 

dog 

off 

€OSt 

moth 

cough 

of 

fog 

scoff 

lost 

cloth 

trough 

odd 

log 

moss 

frost 

oft 

long 

box 

got 

loss 

sloth 

soft 

strong 

fjx 

god 

toss 

broth 

loft 

'     gong 

phlox 

hod 

■cross 

troth 

gone 

wrong 

I.    WORDS  OFTEN   MISPRONOUNCED. 

In  every  word  give  o  its  clean-cut  short  sound. 


■eom^ma 

doQ^ile 

lor'in 
lov^el 

mon'ad 

"Com'mon 

don^key 

nom'ad 

€5m'et 

for'est 

grov^el 

oi"'fi(je 

■eom^bat 

fore^head 

hor^rid 

or'ange 

■eom'rade 

fron'tier 

joe^md 

offset 

collar 

for'age 

loft'y 

ofif'ing 

€jn^flict 

god^y 

solVly 

dog'ma 

€on'strue 

slothful 

oft'en 

doc'tor 

II.    WORDS   OFTEN 

MISPRONOUNCED. 

bon'net 

proQ'ess 

stoWd 

dol' 

or  ous 

€offee 

prog^ress 

squarid 

hoF 

0  -eaust 

■eoffin 

proj'ect 

quar'rel 

mon'o  gram 

■eor^al 

phon'ic 

be  troth' 

m51 

'e  €ule 

prod^uct 

prov'ost 

l)e  long-' 

on'er  ous 

prod'uce 

son'net 

extol' 

or'a  €le 

24 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


XIX.     Sound  of  o  as  in  done. 


Marked 

with  a  dot 

over  it,  thus — 6. 

This 

sound  is 

identical  \\ 

•^ith  short  u 

as  in  siin. 

none 

some 

a  bove' 

oven 

does 

tongue 

bon/bast 

on^ion 

doth 

rough 

bor'ough 

oth^er 

dost 

-eoror 

■eov^er 

plov^er 

eome 

■eov^et 

hov^er 

■eoas^in 

bomb 

doz'en 

hon'ey 

slov^eu 

blood 

■eon'jure 

mon'grel 

Avor'ry 

XX.     Sound  of  0  as  in  move. 

Marked  with  two  dots  under  it,  thus — o.  This  sound 
is  identical  with  that  of  oo  in  moon,  and  of  u  after  r, 
as  in  rule.  Avoid  the  provincialism  of  reducing  the 
sound  of  o,  00,  and  u  to  that  of  long  u  or  ew,  thus — 
dew  for  do,  trew  for  true,  tew  for  to,  yew  for  you, 
skewl  for  school,  etc.  The  sound  of  o,  oo,  or  u  is  one 
of  the  extremes  of  the  vowel  scale,  made  correctly  by 
projecting  the  lips  free  from  the  teeth. 


move 

hoof 

croup 

youth 

■ea  noe' 

prove 

roof 

group 

truth 

a  do'" 

lo§e 

root 

soup 

through 

sham  poo' 

tio 

boot 

whoop 

grew 

bam  boo' 

to 

spoon 

loop 

tool 

tat  too' 

too 

soon 

route 

ghoul 

ap  prove' 

two 

noon 

slioot 

con  tour' 

re  proof 

you 

school 

wound 

ba  rou(;he' 

be  hove' 

noose 

rule 

soon 

car  toucjhe' 

gam  boge' 

loose 

f^l 

moon 

ta  boo' 

de  tour' 

cool 

rude 

your 

rul'er 

who 

goose 

1TI§9 

shoe 

move'ment 

whom 

moose 

choo§3 

soothe 

moon'shine 

whose 

spoon 

fruit 

tour 

ob  trude^ 

ru'ral 

SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.-:  25 

■  XXI.     Sound  of  o  as  in  for. 

Marked  with  a  circurailex,  thus — -6.  This  sound  of  o 
is  identical  with  broad  a  as  in  all.  It  occurs  before  r 
in  words  of  one  syllable ;  in  accented  syllables  when 
not  followed  by  another  r;  and  also  in  the  derivatives 
of  such  words  as  north,  northern,  etc.  Be  careful  to 
give  r  its  full  sound. 


6r 

■corpse 

■eor^dial 

gor'geous 

co/ner 

f6r 

horse 

bo/der 

mo/tal 

co/nice 

nor 

storm 

for'mal 

luo/sel 

or^der 

born 

thorn 

.  forV.eps 

inort^gage 

o/^hard 

xxn.     Sound  of  o  as  in  W9lf. 

Marked  with  a  dot  under  it,  thus — a  This  sound  is 
identical  with  that  of  short  oo,  as  in  book,  and  that  of 
u  as  in  full. 


wolf 

■could  n't 

wors^ted 

book 

pull 

w^9uld 

would  n't 

wolfish 

€o6k 

hood 

-could 

should  n't' 

good'ness 

hook 

put 

bo^gom 

woodmen 

wo'nian 

look 

push 

XXIII.     The  long  sound  of  u. 

Marked  with  a  macron,  thus — ii.  This  is  a  compound 
sound,  formed  of  a  slight  sound  of  y  joined  with  oo 
long.  After  dy  t,  I,  n,  and  s,  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to 
introduce  the  y  sound.  Avoid  the  two  extremes :  (1) 
That  of  overdoing  the  y  sound,  so  as  to  make  dii^ty 
sound  like  ju'ty.  (2)  That  of  sounding  ic  like  oo  long, 
as  doo'ty  for  dii^ty. 


ii§e 

€ubo 

diie 

Heii 

sliit 

piire 

fu§e 

■cure 

siie 

view 

deiiee 

lure 

mu§e 

tube 

hiie 

ewe 

feiid 

dupe 

miite 

tiine 

flue 

new 

sliiice 

diine 

26  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


I. 

WORDS  OFTEN  MISPRONOUNCED. 

budgie 

flu'id 

mu'sic 

liu'inid 

beau% 

hu'man 

pu'pil 

iiui'sancje 

-eu^bi-e 

j^'ry 

pu'trid 

neu'ter 

du'ty 

lu'pine 

stu'pid 

suit'or 

II. 

WORDS   OFTEN  MISPRONOUNCED. 

■eom  mf/iii  -eate 

■eom  nii/ni  ty 

lu'iia  (^y 

-eon  sti  tuition 

-eu'mu  la  tive 

lu'iia  tic 

el  0  -eu'tion 

lu'min  a  ry 

iiiu'gi  -eal 

rev  0  lu'tion 

lu  gu'bri  ous 

ed'u  -eate 

in  sti  tuition 

per  pe  tul  ty 

eaF-eu  late 

XXIV.  The  short  sound  of  u. 

Marked  with  a  breve,  thus — u.  Avoid  the  vulgarism 
of  saying  op  for  iip,  on'der  for  iin'der,  etc.  Say  Im/ry, 
not  hu/ry;   -eoiir'age,  not  £u/age. 

biid  biir'row  iinVler  -eur'ren  cy 

biiff  fiir'row  iip'per  sov'er  eign 

dumb  mu/rain  iit'ter  hiir^ri  cane 

eur'ry  fliir'ry  giit'ter  dron/e  da  ry 

XXV.  Sound  of  u  as  in  rule. 

Marked  with  two  dots  under  it,  thus — u.  This  sound 
of  w,  wdien  it  follows  the  consonant  r,  is  identical  with 
that  of  0  as  in  move,  and  oo  in  moon.  Eule  rhymes 
with  fooh  rude  with  mood,  true  with  too,  you  with  grew. 


brute 

rule 

brui§e 

pruMen^e 

rulnor 

fruit 

s-ehool 

€rui§e 

pru'dent 

tru'ant 

■erude 

truth 

■eru'el 

prud'ish 

trihy 

rude 

youth 

gru'el 

ru'in 

truffle 

prude 

true 

bru'tal 

rubral 

druld 

prune 

chew 

bru'in 

ruthless 

doing 

SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  27 

XXVI.     Sound  of  u  as  in  urge. 

Marked  with  a  circumflex,  thus — u.  This  sound  occurs 
in  monosyllables  before  r  not  followed  by  a  vowel;  in 
accented  syllables  before  r  final,  or  r  followed  by  one 
or  more  consonants  different  from  itself,  and  in  deriva- 
tives from  any  such  words.  It  coincides  with  e  as  in 
verge,  i  as  in  thirst,  and  o  as  in  word,  except  that  u  is 
somewhat  broader  and  more  guttural. 


burn 

furl 

spurt 

word 

su/geon 

burst 

hiirl 

spurn 

work 

stu/geon 

€ur 

hurt 

purge 

worm 

mu/der 

^ari 

purse 

urn 

world 

murluur 

-curse 

nurse 

turn 

worth 

bu/den 

xxvii.     Sound  of  u  as  in  full. 

Marked  wdth  a  dot  under  it  thus — u.  This  sound  is 
identical  with  that  of  o  as  in  wolf,  and  short  oo  as  in 
book. 


bull 

puss 

bullock 

pullet 

bush 

pull 

butch^er 

pulley 

push 

full 

bush^eg 

puFpit 

put 

wolf 

bulrush 

pud^ding 

wood 

cook 

bullet 

put^ting 

xxviii.     The  diphthong  oi  as  in  oil, 

The 

diphthongs  oi 

and  oij 

are  equivalents. 

The  sound 

of  oi  : 

is  a  compound 

of  a+i. 

oil 

hoist 

foist 

joy 

boiler 

boil 

moist 

poi§e 

troy 

loi^ter 

broil 

joist 

noi§e 

boy 

roy^al 

•coil 

toil 

quoit 

buoy 

Wal 

■eoin 

soil 

point 

toy 

oint^ment 

loin 

roil 

joint 

oysler 

voy^ige 

28 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


XXIX.     The  diphthongs  ou  and  ow. 

The  diphthong  ou^  identical  with  ow,  is  a  compound 
of  a  +  o-  Open  the  mouth  freely  in  giving  the  initial 
of  this  .sound. 


out 

-eow 

ground 

hour 

bower 

ounce 

how 

round 

flour 

power 

our 

now 

sound 

sour 

lower 

doubt 

owl 

■elown 

seour 

shower 

drought 

fowl 

drown 

plow 

tower 

gouge 

howl 

frown 

slough 

dower 

-  III.    ExEECisES  ON  Vocals. 

I.      HINTS    AND    SUGGESTIONS. 

Concert  drill  exercises  on  the  following  table  may  he 
given  as  follows : 

1.  Preliminary  breathing  exercise. 

2.  Concert  phonic  spelling  of  the  words  under  each 
vocal. 

3.  Concert  pronunciation  of  words,  with  various  de- 
grees of  force  from  the  whisper  to  loud  force,  and  with 
the  rising,  the  falling,  and  the  circumflex  inflections. 

4.  It'  time  will  allow,  require  each  pupil,  singly,  to 
take  the  drill  indicated  above. 

II.      TABLE   OF  VOCALS. 

a.— ale,  sail,  pay,  they,  vein,  gauge,  break,  gaol, 
a. — ah  !  are,  half,  laugh,  hearth,  guard,  aunt,  alms, 
a,  6. — all,  awe,  aught,  broad,  stalk,  naught,  ought, 
a. — add,  and,  at,  bade,  plaid,  catch,  man,  hand, 
a,  e. — air,  dare,  bear,  there,  square,  ere,  heir,  e'er. 
a. — ant,  ask,  dance,  chance,  glass,  last,  staff,  gasp, 
a,  o.— was,  wand,  wasp,  what,  swap,  not,  blot,  god. 
e.— me,  we,  bee,  bean,  fierce,  niece,  seize,  key,  tea. 
e.— end,  dread,  said,  say§,  deaf,  feoff;  yes,  get,  yet. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


29 


TABLE    OF    VOCAI.S.— Continued. 

e,  1. — err,  lier,  earth,  were,  verge,  myrrh,  thirst,  work, 
e,  a. — vein,  deign,  rein,  they,  prey,  weight,  neigh, 
e,  a. — there,  where,  air,  ere,  bare,  ne'er,  care,  e'er. 
T,  y. — Ice,  pine,  fire,  lyre,  lie,  liar,  aisle,  aye§,  eye§. 
1 — In,  pin,  been,  hymn,  myth,  sieve,  build,  since. 
1,  e. — thirst,  first,  girl,  earn,  learn,  bird,  third,  worst. 
1,  e. — pique,  clique,  ob  lique^,  pol  ice^,  ma  rine^ 
5. — old,  oak,  broke,  pour,  ore,  door,  t5]l,  sew,  tow. 
6,  a. — odd,  not,  dog,  god,  lost,  off,  cough,  moss,  loss. 
0,  00,  u. — move,  moon,  rule,  do,  route,  true,  grew,  you. 
6,  a. — or,  nor,  horse,  quart,  wart,  corn,  storm,  born. 
6,  u. — done,  son,  d6e§,  doth,  sponge,  blood,  flood,  run. 
9,  00,  u. — wolf,  would,  wood,  should,  book,  cook,  put. 
u. — u§e,  mu§e,  diie,  few,  view,  feiid,  tiine,  cube,  tube, 
u,  6. — tiib,  biit,  diist,  trust,  done,  d6e§,  bomb,  criimb. 
u,  00,  0 — rule,  rude,  truth,  youth,  spoon,  move,  prove. 
U. — urge,  purge,  burn,  turn,  fur,  burr,  cur,  curl,  furl. 
Tj,  do,  0. — put,  pull,  push,  bush,  puss,  book,  took, 
oi,  oy. — oil,  boil,  toil,  boy,  joy,  cloy,  roil,  coil,  foil, 
ou,  ow.— out,  our,  ounce,  flour,  power,  sour,  owl. 

III.    CONCERT  DKII.I.. 

In  concert  drill  on  tile  follovnng  table,  observe  the  fol- 
lovnng  directions. 

1.  Eead  the  columns  vertically. 

2.  Eepeat  with  slow  movement;   moderate;   fast. 

3.  Eepeat  in  a  forcible  w^hisper. 

4.  Eepeat  with  gentle  force;   moderate;   loud. 


a-a-a 

e-e-e 

u-u-u 

a-a-ii 

I-i-I 

v..         w         w 

u-u-u 

a-a-a 

1-1-1 

d-tl-ll 

a-a-a 

0-0-5 

u-u-u 

e-e-e 

V        V        w 

0-0-0 

oi-oi-oy 

e-G-e 

0-0-g 

ou-ou-ow 

30 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION, 


IV.    Vowel  Sounds  in  Unaccented  Syllables. 

There  are  many  delicate  shades  of  sound  in  unac- 
cented vowels  which  must  be  learned  from  the  lips  of 
the  living  teacher,  or  by  noticing  carefully  the  pro- 
nunciation of  educated  and  critical  people. 


The 
cented  i 

beg^gar 

■eSriar 

doHar 

Ifar 

m5lar 

p5lar 

stellar 

cellar 


■eap^tain 
■eu/tain 
qe/tain 


I.     Final  unaccented  ar,  er,  ir,  or,  yr. 
vowels  a,  c,  i,  o,  it,  y,  preceding  r  in  final  unac- 


3,  have 

the 

sound  of  e  as  in 

her. 

al^der 

ii/mor 

siirphur 

banlier 

a/dor 

au^gur 

lad'der 

-eoror 

zeph^yr 

pamper 

o^dor 

mar^tyr 

ta^pir 

parlor 

sa^tyr 

na^dir 

fe^mur 

hon^or 

mllior 

le^mur 

fron(-urn) 

ma^jor 

murlnur 

a^pron(-urn) 

11.     Final 

-ain  like  -en. 

mii/rain 

chieftain 

villain 

chaplain 

bar 

•^gain 

plai/tain 

III.     Words  having  a  or  o  unaccented. 

In  words  like  the  following,  a  or  o  in  unaccented  final 
syllables  has  a  slightly  obscured  sound  of  short  u. 


ffnal 

vftal 

phSn^tom 

ten^ant 

fis'cal 

vo^cal 

tran^som 

gallop 

le^gal 

vernal 

hand^some 

kllad 

men^tal 

-eon/mon 

ham^mock 

sarad 

mo/tal 

€us^tom 

hiirock 

sea^man 

na'§al 

blos'som 

or'phan 

firelnan 

na^val 

dragoon 

tru^ant 

brakelnan 

5Val 

se/mon 

serv^ant 

balance 

SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


IV.     Final  unaccented  a. 


31 


Unaccented  a,  at  the  end  of  a  word,  lias  the  sound 
of  intermediate  a,  verging   towards   short  Uy  as  con/ma 


or  com^mu. 

con/nia 

al^ge  bra 

pi  az^za 

va  niria 

c^ra 

a^re  a 

CO  ro^na 

guer  iHa 

ex^tra 

a  re^na 

ver^te  bra 

fa  rf  na 

la\a 

cu^po  la 

man  tilla 

lam^i  na 

mfca 

op^e  ra 

scin  tiria 

mem  o  ranMa 

s5^fa 

i  de^a 

um  breHa 

a  nath^e  ma 

V.     Sound  of  a  in  unaccented  final  syllables. 

In  words  like  the  following,  a  has  the  sound  of  short 
e;  as,  -age  =  ej,  and  -ate=:et. 


courtage 

ma/riage 

sav^age 

palmate 

dan/age 

car^riage 

iig^age 

pfrate 

drain^age 

mile^age 

ag'ate 

fr]g''ate 

fi  outrage 

post^age 

elf  mate 

ad  van^tage 

leak^age 

tiirage 

prl^^ate 

per  qent^age 

VI.     Unaccented  a  as  an  initial  syllable. 

In  the  first  syllable  of  words  like  the  following,  the 
vowel  a,  when  unaccented,  has  nearly  the  sound  of  short 
a  a  little  obscured,  or  of  a  as  in  ask,  verging  towards 
short  11 ;  as  a  bout^,  a  bove'' ;  or  a  bout^,  a  bove^  Avoid 
the  coramon  error  of  giving  a  the  long  sound ;  as  a  bove^, 
ma  chine^ ;  also  that  of  short  u,  as  u  bout^,  ii  bove^  In 
the  dictionary  this  sound  is  unmarked. 


a  bove^ 

a  gain' 

a  like' 

•ea  det' 

ga  zette' 

a  bout^ 

a  larm' 

a  mong' 

■ea  nal' 

ma  c^hine' 

a  buse^ 

a  las' 

a  part' 

■ea  ress' 

ma  rine' 

a  cross^ 

a  live' 

a  ri§e' 

€a  nard' 

ra  vine' 

a  diilt' 

a  I5ne' 

a  side' 

€a  noe' 

ca  reen' 

32 


SCHOOL  el:ocution. 


,    VII.     Silent  e  and  o. 

In   the  following  words  and  some  others,  e  and  o  are 
silent  before  n  or  I,  thus — heaven  =  hevn,  evil  =  evl. 


bacon 

gdlden 

listen 

open 

season 

button 

garden 

leaven 

often 

sudden 

cotton 

gladden 

leaden 

person 

spoken 

crimgon 

glisten 

lengthen 

parson 

sloven 

deacon 

given 

liken 

poison 

shovel 

danigon 

gliitton 

lesson 

reason 

shrivel 

devil 

grovel 

lessen 

reckon 

snivel 

driven 

heathen 

mason 

raven 

smitten 

even 

heaven 

miittou 

raisin 

siinken 

evil 

harden 

maiden 

ridden 

token 

eagel 

hastan 

moisten 

rotten 

teagel 

fallen 

happen 

mitten 

ravel 

wea§el 

frdzen 

hazel 

oven 

seven 

weaken 

frighten 

kitten 

ougel 

silken 

weapon 

VIII.     Short  i  in  unaccented  final  syllables. 


ag'ile 

faQ'ile 

san'guine 

mas'cu  line 

do^'ile 

ferVile 

siib'tile 

len/i  nine 

des'tine 

frag'ile 

ste/ile 

gei/u  ine 

duc'tile 

flex'ile 

tex'tile 

he/o  ine 

en'gine 

hostile 

vfrile 

pu'er  ile 

er'mine 

m5'bile 

ver'sa  tile 

juS'c  nile 

IX.     Short  i  in  unaccented  initial  syllables. 


di  vide' 

di  vest' 

di  gress' 

di  pl5'ma 

di  late' 

di  vert' 

mi  nute' 

.    di  ges'tion 

di  lute' 

di  vulge' 

gi  raffe' 

di  vis'ion 

di  reef 

di  verge' 

gi  gar' 

di  la'tion 

di  gest' 

di  vorce' 

fi  nance' 

di  rec'tioii 

di  van' 

di  vine' 

tirade' 

bi  tii'nieu 

SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  33 

X.     Sound  of  short  i  and  y  in  unaccented  syllables. 

In  words  like  the  following,  there  is  a  tendency  to 
give  short  e  the  sound  of  obscure  e  or  a,  and  to  pro- 
long final  -ty  into  -te. 

ac  tiv'i  ty  gul  li  bill  ty  re  spon  si  bil'i  ty 

a  gtri  ty  in  terii  gi  ble  tran  quiFli  ty 

de  bin  ty  in  corli  gi  ble  pos  si  bill  ty 

di  vis  i  bill  ty  in  vm^ci  ble  u  till  ty 

el  i  gi  bill  ty  il  legl  ble  u  na  niml  ty 

fu  §i  bill  ty  in  finl  ty  in  com  pat  i  bill  ty 

XL     Sound  of  u  in  unaccented  final  syllables. 

In  the  pronunciation  of  words  of  two  syllables  ending 
in  -ture,  -dure,  or  -sure,  there  is  a  slight  difference  in 
good  usage.  By  some,  the  word  creature,  ibr  example, 
is  pronounced  as  if  spelled  thus — creat^yer,  verging  tow- 
ards crea'cher  ;  by  others  it  is  pronounced  thus— 
creat^yoor. 


crea'ture 

fraclure 

nalure 

raplure 

ciillure 

fulure 

nu/ture 

scriplure 

caplure 

geslure 

paslure 

striic'ture 

fea^ture 

leclure 

piclure 

venlure 

fixature 

lei^gure 

poslure 

ver'dure 

vullure 

sulure 

veslure 

riiplure 

xiL     Sound  of  u  in  unaccented  final  syllables. 

In  words  of  more  than  two  syllables,  the  sound  of 
-ure  is  made  somewhat  longer  than  in  words  of  two 
syllables ;   as  furniture  is  pronounced  furliit  yoor. 

ap^er  ture  lit'er  a  ture  carl  «a  ture 

o'ver  ture  tem^per  a  ture  jii^di  ca  ture 

llg'a  ture  mini  a  ture  slg^na  ture 

slg'na  ture  ap'er  ture  c6r^\a  ture 

3 


34  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

XIIL     The  syllable  -tude. 

Sp'ti  tude  lon^gl  tude  rec'ti  tude 

aVti  tude  las^si  tude  soil  tclde 

at'ti  tude  niiirti  tude  serVi  tude 

XIV.  Long  0  unaccented. 

mo  rococo  to  bac'co  ag'o  ny 

po  ta'to  pro  por^tion  op^po  §ite 

o  pinion  pi  alio  el^o  quence 

XV.  Miscellaneous  Hints. 

1.  The  article  a  is  sounded  in  connection  with  the 
word  that  follows  it;  as,  "a  book"  is  sounded  as  one 
word  of  two  syllables,  thus — a-book^  Here  the  article 
has  the  sound  of  long  a,  obscured  and  cut  off  suddenly. 
It  is  not  good  usage  to  give  it  the  sound  of  short  u, 
thus — u-book^,  or  of  ur-book'. 

2.  Before  a  word  beginning  with  a  consonant  tlie 
article  tliCy  except  when  emphatic,  is  sounded  as  a  syllable 
of  the  word  which  it  precedes,  as  the-book',  pronounced 
as  a  word  of  two  syllables,  accented  on  the  last.  In 
such  cases  the  obscured  c  sound  in  the  is  really  repre- 
sented by  short  ^,  rather  than  by  short  u ;  as,  tin-book', 
thi-horse',  thl-schooK  It  is  sometimes  indicated  thus — 
th'-booV,  th'-horse'. 

3.  Before  words  beginning  with  a  vowel,  as  the-air', 
the-ice^  e  in  the  has  the  long  sound,  less  obscured  and 
shortened  than  when  the  precedes  a  word  beginning  with 
a  consonant.  The  error  in  sounding  the  articles  a  and 
tJie  frequently  arises  from  attempts  to  give  their  phonic 
spelling  independent  of  their  connection  with  the  words 
that  follow  them.  In  order  to  sound  the  articles  cor- 
rectly, notice  how  they  are  pronounced,  by  persons  of 
good  taste,  in  ordinary  conversation. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  35 

SECTION"  III. 

CONSONANT   SOUNDS. 

I.    Articulation. 

1.  Distinct  articulation  is  essential  to  good  reading 
and  speaking.  "The  first  step  towards  becoming  a  good 
elocutionist,"  says  Comstock,  "is  a  correct  articulation. 
A  public  speaker,  possessed  of  only  a  moderate  voice, 
if  he  articulates  correctly,  will  be  better  understood,  and 
heard  with  greater  pleasure,  than  one  wdio  vociferates 
without  judgment.  The  voice  of  the  latter  may  indeed 
extend  to  a  considerable  distance,  but  the  sound  is  dis- 
sipated in  confusion.  Of  the  former  voice  not  the 
smallest  vibration  is  wa.sted ;  every  stroke  is  perceived 
at  the  utmost  distance  to  which  it  reaches;  and  hence 
it  has  often  the  appearance  of  penetrating  even  farther 
than  one  which  is  loud,  but  badly  articulated." 

2.  "In  just  articulation,"  says  Austin,  "the  w^ords  are 
not  hurried  over,  nor  precipitated  syllable  over  syllable ; 
nor,  as  it  were,  melted  together  into  a  mass  of  confusion; 
they  are  neither  abridged,  nor  prolonged ;  nor  swallowed, 
nor  forced,  and,  if  I  may  so  express  myself,  shot  from 
the  mouth;  they  are  not  trailed  nor  drawled,  nor  let 
slip  out  carelessly,  so  as  to  drop  unfinished.  They  are 
delivered  out  from  the  lips,  as  beautiful  coins  newly 
issued  from  the  mint,  deeply  and  accurately  impressed, 
perfectly  finished,  neatly  struck  by  the  proper  organs, 
distinct,  sharp,  in  due  succession,  and  of  due  weight." 

3.  The  best  way  of  training  the  organs  of  speech  to 
good  articulation  is  by  means  of  forcible  phonic  spelling 
and  by  drill-exercises  on  the  elementary  sounds,  partic- 
ularly on  subvocals  and  aspirates. 

4.  "  Articulate  utterance,"  says  Prof.  Eussell,  "  requires 
a  constant  exercise  of  discrimination  of  the  mind,  and 
of  precision  or  accuracy  in  the  inovemcnts  of  (lie  organs 


36  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

of  speech.  A  correct  articulation,  however,  is  not  be- 
labored or  artificial  in  its  character.  It  results  from  the 
intuitive  and  habitual  action  of  a  disciplined  attention. 
It  is  easy,  fluent,  and  natural;  but,  like  the  skillful 
execution  of  an  accomplished  musician,  it  gives  forth 
every  sound,  even  in  the  most  rapid  passages,  with  truth 
and  correctness. 

5.  "  A  good  enunciation  gives  to  every  vowel  and 
consonant  its  just  proportion  and  character;  none  being 
omitted,  no  one  blendino:  with  another  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  produce  confusion,  and  none  so  carelessly  executed 
as  to  cause  mistake  in  the  hearer,  by  its  resemblance 
to  another. 

6.  "A  correct  enunciation  is  the  fundamental  quality 
of  a  distinct  and  impressive  elocution.  It  is  an  attain- 
ment of  great  value,  for  the  ordinary  purposes  of 
communication ;  but  it  becomes  doubly  important,  in  the 
act  of  reading  or  speaking  in  public,  whetlier  we  advert 
to  the  larger  space  which  must  be  traversed  by  the 
voice,  or  the  greater  moment  of  the  topics  of  discourse 
which  are  usual  on  such  occasions. 

7.  "The  appropriate  style  of  modern  eloquence  is  that 
of  intellectual,  more  than  of  impassioned,  expression; 
and  enunciation  being,  of  all  the  functions  of  the  voice, 
that  which  is  most  important  to  the  conveyance  of 
thought  and  meaning,  it  justly  requires,  in  the  course 
of  education,  more  attention  and  practice  than  any  other 
branch  of  elocution." 

11.    Classification  of  Elementary  Sounds. 

The  elementary  sounds  are  classified  as  follows : 

1.  Vocals,  or  tonics. 

2.  Subvocals,  or  subtonics. 

3.  Aspirates,  or  atonies. 

Vocals,  represented  by  vowels,  are  sounds  consisting 
of  pure  tone  only. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  37 

Subvocals,  represented  by  consonauts,  are  sounds  that 

have   tone,    but    are    inferior   to   vocals   in   fullness.      A 

consonant  can  not  be  named  without  the  aid  of  a  vowel, 

as   h   is   named   in   the   alphabet,   le.     Hence   the   term 

,  consonant,  sounded  ivith. 

Aspirates,  represented  by  consonants,  are  sounds  with- 
out tone. 

Letters  are  characters  to  represent  articulate  sounds. 

III.    Diacritical  Marks  of  Consonants. 

[As  given  in   Webster  s  Dictionary. \ 


9  soft — Qede,  gent, 
-e  hard — -call,  la-e. 
ch  unmarked — church, 
ch  soft — ghaise,  Qhute. 
■eh  hard — €hyle,  -ehyme. 
g  hard — ^giirn,  log. 
g  soft—gQm,  gin. 
§  5o/i^  =  z— ha§,  hi§. 
s  sharp  =  c, — sin,  gas. 


th  shaiy — thing,  bath, 
fh  flat — fhine,  smooth, 
ng  unmarked—  sing,  ring, 
n — ink,  link. 
X  =ks — box,  fox. 
5=rgz — epst,  e^alt. 
ph  =  f — phlox,  sylph, 
qu  r=  kw — queen,  queer, 
wh  =  hw — when,  why. 


IV.    Drill  Lessons  on  Consonant  Sounds. 

I.    SUBVOCAXS. 

In  concert  drill-exercises  on  the  follovjing  table,  observe 
the  following  directions : 

1.  Pronounce   each   w^ord   distinctly,    and    then    give, 
forcibly,  the  phonic  spelling. 

2.  Kepeat,  forcibly,  eacli  subvocal  and   aspirate  three 
times,  thus — b,  b,  b ;  cl,  d,  d,  etc. 

3.  After  concert  drill,  require  each  pupil,  in  turn,  to 
give  the  sounds. 

b. — bib,  babe,  bee,  ebb,  mob,  rob,  sob,  €jb. 
d. — did,  dog,  dead,  odd,  dread,  died,  said,  bed. 
g.— gag,  gig,  grog,  get,  girl,  gills,  gig'gle. 


38  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

i-—pyy  J^st,  jog,  gill,  gem,  gin,  gin'ger. 
1. — lull,  1611,  mill,  bell,  sale,  boil,  toil,  soil. 
m. — man,  maim,  miim,  dim,  riim,  some, 
n. — nun,  none,  noun,  name,  riin,  gun. 
r  (rough). — ^rude,  rule,  room,  rood,  roll,  roar, 
r  (smooth). — or,  5re,  more,  oar,  year,  deer. 
V. — valve,  vale,  vine,  live,  of,  veer,  vote, 
w. — will,  woe,  we,  wine,  wet,  wind,  wood. 
y. — yes,  yet,  you,  yam,  yarn,  yoke,  yacht, 
z. — zone,  ooze,  lo§e,  no§e,  blaze,  craze, 
zh. — azure,  meagure,  pleasure,  treagure. 
th. — fhy,  fhine,  this,  with,  bMhe,  bafhe. 
n^. — -kin2:,  rim:!:,  rani(,  riino-,  sinq-,  sans^,  suno\ 
n. — ^ink,  link,  think,  wink,  blink. 
:?^  =  gz. — e:?^ist,  example,  e:5:hort,  exhaust. 

II.    ASPIRATE^. 

f.— fife,  if,  fill,  beef,  buff,  off,  laugh, 
h. — how,  h5me,  hill,  had,  here,  hair,  hail, 
k,  -e,  -eh. — kill,  kick,  -eake,  ^ome,  ^hyle,  -ehyme. 
p. — pipe,  ripe,  piip,  pop,  pip,  peep. 
s. — sauqe,  cease,  Qite,  ^ell,  sense,  qenis. 
■t. — too,  dot,  tilt,  trot,  trust,  twit,  wit. 
sh,  ^h. — shall,  sham,  rash,  dash,  ghaise,  (jhiite. 
ch. — chin,  chop,  lich,  ditch,  church,  birch, 
th. — thin,  thick,  pith,  teeth,  truth,  youth. 
x=:ks. — box,  fox,  locks,  vex,  necks,  tax,  lax,  wax. 

V.    Miscellaneous  Hints. 

1.  Do  not  be  over-particular  about  a  heavy  articula- 
tion of  the  d  in  and.  The  d  should  be  sounded,  but 
not  so  painfully  emphasized  as  to  become  an  elocu- 
tionary affectation. 

2.  Th  is  vocal,  as  in  f hine,  in  the  following  plurals : 
bafh§,  la{h§,  paths,  moth§,  cloth §,  oathg,  mouths,  swath §, 
wreathg,  boothg ;  and  in  blithe,  lithe,  with,  and  beneath. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


S9 


SECTION  IV. 

CLASSIFICATION  OF  ELEMENTARY  SOUNDS. 

I.  Table  of  Elementary  Sounds. 

I.    VOCALS. 


a 

a-ge, 

n-a-me 

i/y 

Ml, 

li-y-mn 

a 

a-lm§, 

ii-rt 

0 

o-ld, 

n-o 

a 

a-U, 

1-aw 

0 

O-D, 

o-dd 

a 

a-t, 

a-n 

0,  00 

m-o-ve, 

m-oo-n 

a 

a-ir, 

€-a-re 

u 

u-se, 

d-ue 

a 

a-sk, 

€l-a-ss 

u 

u-p, 

s-ii-n 

e 

e-ve, 

m-e 

li 

u-rge, 

b-u-rii 

e 

e-nd, 

e-anr 

U,  00 

f-u-11, 

w-oo-l 

e 

h-e-r, 

e-iT 

oi,  oy 

oi>l, 

b-oy 

i.y 

I-ce, 

m-y 

oil,  ow 

ou-t, 

ow-1 

II.    SUBVOCALS. 


b 

b-i-b, 

b-a-be 

r 

r-oa-r,    re-a-r 

d 

d-i-d, 

de-ad 

{h 

fh-Ine,  wi-tli 

g-^-~^^ 

g-i-g 

V 

v-al-ve,  wa-ve 

J 

j-am, 

g-era 

w 

w-ill,      w-ell 

1 

i-ii-ll, 

be-11 

y 

y-es,       y-et 

m 

m-ai-m, 

mi-ne 

z 

z-one,     z-in€ 

n 

n-ii-n, 

nl-ne 

zh,  z 

a-z^ure,  sei^z-ure 

ng,  n 

rl-ng, 

ra-n-k 

III.    ASPIRATES. 


f 

f-I-fe, 

o-ff 

t 

t-en-t,      t-ar-t 

h 

h-at, 

h-ill 

ch 

cli-iir-ch,  cb-aiii 

k 

k-Ill, 

l)o6-k 

sh 

sh-ip,       wl-feb 

P 

p-i-pe, 

p-ut 

th 

thl-ck,      pa-tli 

s 

s-ell. 

s-en-se 

wli 

wh-en,      wh-ere 

40 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


II.    Vocals  and  Equivalents. 

[Arranged  according   to  the  natural  order  of  their  fo^'maticni  by  the 
organs  of  speech.'] 


I.     I.ONG. 

II.    SHORT. 

e 

e-ve, 

m-e 

i 

1-n,        i-t 

a 

a-le, 

a-ge 

e 

e-nd,     m-e-n 

a 

fii-r, 

c-a-re 

a 

a-t,        a-n 

a 

a-lm§, 

b-a-lF 

a 

a-sk,     p-a-ss 

A 

u 

u-rge, 

c-u-rl 

ti 

ii-p,       b-ii-d 

a 

a-11, 

1-aw 

0 

6-n,       d-o-g 

0 

o-ld, 

n-o 

11 

p-u-11,  p-u-t 

0 

m-o-ve 

d-o 

COMPOUNDS   AND  DIPHTHONGS.— tONG. 


u  =  i  -f  00. — u-se,  in-u-te. 
i7=a-he. — ^I-ce,  m-I-ne. 


ou  =  a  +  00. — ou-t,  th-oii. 
oi=i:a+e. — oi-1,  b-oy. 


III.     Subvocals  and  Aspirates. 

[^Arranged  according  to  tlie  natural   order  of  their  formation  hj  tlie 
organs  of  speech.] 

I.     COGNATES. 


SUBVOCALS. 

aspirates. 

b 

b-l-b, 

b-a-be 

p 

p-i-pe,      p-o-p 

w 

w-iU, 

w-oo 

wh 

wh-en,      wh-y 

V 

v-a-lve, 

w-a-ve 

f 

f-I-fe,        f-eo-ff 

fh 

fh-Irie, 

\vi--Eh 

th 

th-ick,      mo-th 

z 

z-one, 

sl-ze 

s 

s-ay,         s-ee 

d 

d-i-d, 

d-rea-d 

t 

t-en-t,       t-ro-t 

J 

j-oy, 

j-ail 

ch 

ch-ur-ch,  ch-Ime 

zh 

a-z-ure 

sh 

sh-all,       sb-ow 

y 

y-§s, 

y-ell 

h 

h-ow,        b-ome 

Cf 

^-'^z^ 

g-i-g 

k 

■e-a-ke,     €-o-ke 

SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


41 


II,    SUBTONICS  WITHOUT  COGNATES. 


m. — m-ai-m,  a-m. 
n. — n-ii-D,  n-I-ne. 


r  {rough). — r-ule,  r-oom. 
r  (smooth), — o-re,  nio-re. 
ng. — si-ng,  ri-ng. 


IV.  Table  of  Consonant  Sounds. 

{Classified  according  to  tlieir  formation  hy  tJie  organs  of  S2)eecli.] 

In  order  to  secure  correct  and  forcible  articulation,  it 
may  be  desirable  to  call  the  attention  of  pupils  to  the 
position  of  the  organs  of  speech  in  making  the  conso- 
nant sounds.  Teachers  can  do  this  without  any  detailed 
instructions  in  print. 


Lip  Sounds. 

[Labials.] 

b     p 
m    w 
wh 

b-a-be,      p-i-pe 
m-ai-m,     w-ay 
wdi-y,        wh-en 

Lips  and  Teeth. 

[Labio-Dentals.] 

f 

V 

f-i-fe,         f-eo-ff 
v-ine,        e-ve 

Tongue  and  Teeth. 

[  Linguo-Dentals.  ] 

d     t 
fh    til 
j      ch 
s      sh 
z      zli 

d-i-d,         t-eu-t 
£h-is,         th-ink 
j-oy,          ch-ur-ch 
s-un,          sh-un 
z-one,        a-z^ure 

Tongue  and  Palate. 

[Linguo-Palatals.] 

1      r 

y 

g-ood,        boo-k 
1-u-ll,        r-oa-r 
y-et,          y-es 

Nasal  Passages. 

n 

n-o-ne,      n-i-ne 
si-ng,         ri-ng 

Glottis. 

h 

h-at,          li-ow 

4%  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

V.    Phonic  Drill. — Subvocals  and  Aspirates. 

b. — babe,  bribe,  rib,  bid,  robe,  bird,  -curb. 
9,  s. — gent,  sincje,  oriQe,  l9e,  face,  race,  sense. 
cli. — church,  birch,  liinch,  cheege,  chime, 
d. — did,  dead,  ride,  dlQC,  death,  thread,  dried, 
f,  gh.- — fine,  off,  fife,  fear,  deaf,  foot,  laugh, 
g.— gag,  gig,  game,  gills,  rag,  good,  gauge. 
L— home,  how,  who,  liair,  hate,  hill,  ln§. 
J.  g-— joy,  just,  jet,  age,  page,  gem,  gill, 
k,  -e. — kill,  kite,  look,  -eame,  -could,  -cake,  -crowd, 
■eh.— a^he,  -chord,  €hyme^  -ehyle,  -choir,  -chorus. 
1.— look,  liill,  ball,  boil,  lad^  well,  tall,  pale, 
in. — make,  room,  main,  moon,  numb,  maim, 
n. — noon,  neat,  ten,  nine,  nun,  pin,  none, 
ng. — sing,  ring,  thing,  bank,  rank,^  thank. 
p. — pipe,  -cup,  -cape,  hope,  ripe,  drop,  j)aid. 
r. — roar,  rear,  fire,  floor,  door,  store,  more, 
s,  9. — sau9e,  sin9e,  saw,  190,  in9ense,  sour9e. 
sh,  9h.— shine,  sliall,  9hai§e,  w^ish,  bush,  9hute. 
t. — ^tent,  dot,  tell,  write,  time,  trot,  threat, 
th. — thick,  death,  thin,  length,  wadth,  throat, 
fh. — -Ehis,  fhege,  {ho§e,  fhen,  fhat,  wifh,  fheir. 
V. — vine,  eve,  vote,  move,  veer,  nerve,  vest. 
w. — wind,  wet,  woe,  wait,  wear,  wl§e,  wood, 
wh. — when,  where,  why,  what,  wheat,  wheel. 
X  =  ks. — ox,  box,  locks,  ax,  tax,  lacks,  vex,  fox. 
?  =  gz. — e^act,  e:?^ist,  e:$:ample,  e:5:haust,  e^ert. 
y. — ^yes,  yet,  yell,  year,  young,  youth,  truth, 
z. — zone,  biizz,  breeze,  ooze,  lo§e,  i§,  zine. 
zh.— azure,  pleasure,  measure,  treasure. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  43 

VI.    Articulation  Drill. 
'  First,  pronounce  each  word  very  distinctly  and  forcibly ; 
then  give  the  x3honic  spelling,  and  re-pronounce  the  word. 

rb.— orb,  herb,  verb,  -eurb,  barb,  garb. 

rd. — hard,  liird,  bard,  €ard,  board,  hoard. 

rk. — ark,  biirk,  park,  hark,  mark,  lark. 

spr. — spring,  sprang,  sprung,  spray,  sprite. 

rt.— art,  heart,  part,  ciirt,  dart,  start. 

str. — string,  strung,  straight,  strength,  stray. 

sts. — masts,  fasts,  fists,  nests,  vests,  pests. 

sks. — asks,  tasks,  basks,  casks,  masks. 

skt. — asked,  tasked,  basked,  masked,  rasped. 

sps. — gasps,  clasps,  rasps,  hasps,  grasps. 

spt. — gasped,  clasped,  rasped,  liasped,  grasped. 

£h. — this,  fhat,  fhege,  those,  wifh,  bafhe. 

th. — three,  thr5at,  thrill,  thick,  thin,  bath. 

wh.- — when,  where,  why,  what,  which,  wheat. 

dn.— laden,  burden,  harden,  sadden,  gladden. 

kn.-^hearken,  liken,  weaken,  spoken,  brdken. 

pn. — open,  weapon,  happen,  ripen,  deepen. 

vn. — given,  seven,  oven,  heaven,  leaven,  even. 

sn.-— glisten,  hasten,  fasten,  lesson,  mason. 

A^II.    Articulation  Drill. 

1.  Eound  the  rough  rock  the  ragged  rascal  ran. 

2.  Shoes  and  socks  shock  Susan.     (Repeat.) 

3.  The  scene  w^as  truly  rural.     (Eepeat.) 

4.  She  uttered  a  sharp,  shrill  shriek.     (Repeat.) 

5.  The   difficulties   were   formidable,   inexplicable,  and 
irremediable. 

6.    Amidst  the  mists  and  coldest  frosts, 
With  stoutest  wrists  and  loudest  boasts, 
He  thrusts  his  fists  against  the  posts, 
And  still  insists  he  sees  the  o-hosts. 


44  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

7.  Shrewd  Simon  Short  sewed  shoes.  Seventeen  sum- 
mers' speeding  storms,  succeeding  sunshine,  successively 
saw  Simon's  small,  shabby  shop  standing  staunch,  saw 
Simon's  self-same  sign  still  swinging,  silently  specifying : 
"  Simon  Short,  Smithfield's  sole  surviving  shoemaker. 
Shoes  sewed,  soled  superfinely."  Simon's  spry,  sedulous 
spouse,  Sally  Short,  sewed  shirts,  stitched  sheets,  stuffed 
sofas.  Simon's  six  stout,  sturdy  sons — Seth,  Samuel, 
Stephen,  Saul,  Shadrach,  Silas — sold  sundries.  Sober 
Seth  sold  sugar,  starch,  spices;  simple  Sam  sold  saddles, 
stirrups,  screws;  sagacious  Stephen  sold  silks,  satins, 
shawls ;  skeptical  Saul  sold  silver  salvers,  silver  spoons ; 
selfish  Shadrach  sold  shoe-strings,  soaps,  saws,  skates; 
slack  Silas  sold  Sally  Short's  stuffed  sofas. 

8.  Theophilus  Thistle,  the  successful  thistle-sifter,  in 
sifting  a  sieve  full  of  unsifted  thistles,  thrust  three 
thousand  thistles  through  the  thick  of  his  thumb ;  now, 
if  Theophilus  Thistle,  the  successful  thistle-sifter,  in 
sifting  a  sieve  full  of  unsifted  thistles,  thrust  three 
thousand  thistles  through  the  thick  of  his  thumb,  see 
that  thou,  in  sifting  a  sieve  full  of  unsifted  thistles, 
thrust  not  three  thousand  thistles  through  the  thick  of 
thy  thumb.     Success  to  the  successful  thistle-sifter. 

9.  Of  all  the  saws  T  ever  saw  saw,  T  never  saw  a 
saw  saw  as  this  saw  saws. 

10.  Peter  Piper  picked  a  peck  of  pickled  peppers;  a 
peck  of  pickled  peppers  Peter  Piper  picked.  If  Peter 
Piper  picked  a  peck  of  pickled  peppers,  where 's  the 
peck  of  pickled  peppers  Peter  Piper  picked  ? 

11.    When  a  twister  twisting,  would  twist  him  a  twist. 
For  twisting  a  twist  three  times  he  will  twist; 
But  if  one  of  the  twists  untwist  from  the  twist, 
The  twist  untwisting,  untwists  the  twist. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  45 

SECTION  V. 
ORTHOEPY, 

Good  Usage.  The  standard  of  correct  pronunciation 
is  good  usage.  Good  usage  implies  the  pronunciation  of 
the  educated  and  intellectual  classes  of  society.  The 
standard  of  good  usage  is  found  in  the  dictionaries  of 
a  language.  In  the  United  States,  the  standard  dic- 
tionaries are  Webster's  and  Worcester's. 

The  standard  of  pronunciation  is  never  absolutely  un- 
deviating.  Custom,  from  time  to  time,  changes  the  pro- 
nunciation of  words;  but  the  number  of  these  changes 
is  not  large.  Whenever  general  good  usage  changes  the 
pronunciation  or  the  spelling  of  a  word,  this  change 
soon  finds  its  way  into  a  new  edition  of  the  dictionary. 
The  dictionary,  then,  remains  the  standard  of  good  usage. 

There  are  a  few  hundred  words  in  our  language  that 
have  two  authorized  pronunciations,  either  of  wliich  is 
allowable. 

Affectations.  All  affectations  in  pronunciation  should 
be  carefully  avoided.  The  affectation  of  efther  and 
nefther,  for  either  and  neither,  is  a  case  in  point. 
Avoid  in^quiry  for  in  quir'y.  There  is  no  better  test 
of  culture,  scholarship,  and  refinement,  than  a  correct 
pronunciation. 

On  this  point,  Prof.  William  Eussell  says :  "Individual 
opinion,  when  it  is  at  variance  with  this  important  and 
useful  principle  of  accommodation,  gives  rise  to  eccen- 
tricities, which  neither  the  authority  of  profound  learn- 
ing, nor  that  of  strict  accuracy  and  system,  can  redeem 
from  the  charge  of  jjedantry. 

"  It  is  a  matter  of  great  importance  to  recognize  the 
rule  of  authorized  custom,  and  neither  yield  to  the  in- 
fluence of  those  errors  wliich,  through  inadvertency,  will 
creep   into   occasional   or  local   use  5    nor,   on   the   other 


46.  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

hand,  be  induced  to  follow  innovations  or  changes  adopted 
without  sufficient  sanction.  A  cultivated  taste  is  •  always 
perceptible  in  pronunciation,  as  in  every  other  expression 
of  mind ;  and  errors  in  pronouncing  are  unavoidably 
associated  with  a  deficiency  in  the  rudiments  of  a  good 
education." 

Peovincialisms.  Provincialisms,  or  the  peculiar  pro- 
nunciation prevailing  in  certain  localities  or  sections  of 
our  country,  must  be  studiously  corrected  and  avoided. 
It  is  to  this  class  of  errors  that  teachers  must  carefully 
direct  their  attention.  The  force  of  habit  is  so  strong 
that  pupils  continue  to  mispronounce  words  long  after 
they  know  the  pronunciation  to  be  incorrect. 

Provincialisms  most  commonly  consist  of  some  varia- 
tion or  perversion  of  vowel  sounds :  as  half  for  half, 
calf  for  calf,  laugh  for  laugh,  etc.;  of  tew  for  to,  trew 
for  true,  dew  for  do,  yew  for  you ;  of  grass  for  grass, 
ask  for  ask,  last  for  last,  etc. ;  of  dawg  or  dorg  for  dog ; 
of  git  for  get,  gilt  for  got,  etc. ;  of  toon  for  tune,  noo 
for  new,  dooty  for  duty,  etc.  ;  of  op  for  up,  onder  for 
linder ;  of  skewl  for  school,  rewl  for  rule. 

Another  class  of  these  errors  consists  in  misplacing 
the  accent  of  words ;  as,  f  de  a  for  i  de^a,  ad^ilt  for 
a  diilt'',  re^cess  for  re  cess^,  -eon  vex^  for  -eonVex, 
ex  tant'  for  ex'tant,  in  ter  est'ing  for  in^ter  est  ing, 
lllus  trate  for  il  Ks^trate,  r5^bust  for  ro  bust',  tfr.ade 
for  ti  rade',  ve  he'ment  for  ve^he  ment. 

In  this  connection,  the  following  lines  from  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes  convey  a  valuable  lesson : 

1.    A  few  brief  stanzas  may  be  well  employed 
To  speak  of  errors  we  can  all  avoid. 
Learning  condemns  beyond  the  reach  of  hope 
The  careless  churl  that  speaks  of  soap  for  soap: 
Her  edict  exiles  from  her  fair  abode 
The  clownish  voice  that  utters  road  for  r5ad, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  47 

Less  stern  to  him  who  calls  his  coat  a  coat, 
And.  steers  his  boat  believing  it  a  boat, 
She  pardoned  one,  our  classic  city's  boast, 
Who  said,  at  Cambridge,  most  instead  of  most ; 
But  knit  her  brows,  and  stamped  her  angry  foot. 
To  hear  a  teacher  call  a  root  a  root. 

Once  more :   speak  clearly,  if  you  speak  at  all ; 

Carve  every  word  before  you  let  it  fall; 

Do  n't,  like  a  lecturer  or  dramatic  star, 

Try  over  hard  to  roll  the  British  r ; 

Do  put  your  accents  in  the  proper  spot ; 

l)o  n't — let  me  beg  you — do  n't  say  "How  ?  "  for  "  What  ? " 

And,  when  you  stick  on  conversation's  burrs, 

Do  n't  strew  the  pathway  with  those  dreadful  ^crs. 


I.     Words  Often  MispIjonounced. 

[Bfj  misplacing  the   accent. \ 

The  only  variations  from  ''Webster's  Dictionary,"  in 
the  following  lists,  include  a  few  words  in  relation  to 
which  it  may  be  said  that  good  usage  is  in  advance  of 
the  dictionary. 

First,  require  pupils  to  pronounce  the  follov/ing  words 
in  concert;  then  require  each  pupil,  singly,  in  turn,  to 
pronounce  five  or  more  words. 


ab  dd^men 

al  If 

■ea  nine' 

a-e  €lf  mat  ed 

a^re  a 

ca  bar 

ar^mis  ti^e 

au  re^o  la 

■eay  enne' 

ii/bi  ter 

an  tip^o  de§ 

■eon  tour' 

ab'ject 

al  busmen 

€on'vex 

ad^^erse 

ba  salt' 

cor'net 

ad  dress^ 

bur  lesque 

eon'striie 

a  dept^ 

bl  tubmen 

€on'tents 

adiilt' 

ben'zine 

■eom'plex 

48 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


€011  fi  dant' 

e:j^'em  pla  ry 

leg'is  la  tor 

€om'bat  ant 

ex  po'nent 

ly  (^e'uni 

■eoii/pro  inige 

ex  pu/gate 

leth  ar'gic 

€om^mun  ist 

ex  ploit' 

lith  og'ra  pher 

€on^tro  vert 

f  1  nance' 

mon  soon' 

eom^par  a  ble 

fron'tier 

mus  tache' 

€oi/ver  sant 

for'mid  a  ble 

mag  a  zine' 

-eon^tu  me  ly 

frag'ment  a  ry 

mis  cijn'strue 

com^plai  §ance 

griln'ary 

mu  §e'um 

€ou  trtb^ute 

gon'do  la 

met'al  lur  gy 

€og  no^meii 

glag'i  er 

me'di  0  ere 

€011  fis^€ate 

guar'di  an 

ob'li  ga  to  ry 

eon  do^lence 

gri  mace' 

or'tbo  e  py 

clias^tige  ment 

gla  dfo  lus 

ob'se  quie§ 

91V  il  1  za^tiou 

liar^ass 

ob'so  lete 

Qhiv^al  ric 

ho  ri'zon 

on'er  ous 

-eom  man  dant^ 

hy^gi  ene 

or'nate 

-eom  pen'sate 

by  me  ne'al 

o'vert 

con  gen^trate 

i  de'a 

oc  ciilt' 

■eoy  o^te 

il  liis'trate 

op  po'nent 

def  1  9it 

il  liis'trat  ed 

o'a  sis 

dev^as  tate 

in  quir'y 

pro  lix' 

dof  or  ous 

In'grate 

pre  text' 

dyn^ara  ite 

in'ter  stice 

pre  tense' 

de  mon'strate 

In'ter  est  ing 

pur  loin^ 

de  co'rous 

In'ter  est  ed 

plae'ard 

dep  ri  V  action 

im'pi  ous 

pre  ged'ence 

de§^il  to  ry 

in  com'par  a  ble 

preg'e  dent  («.) 

di  plo'ma  qy 

in  dis'pu  ta  ble 

pre  ced'ent  (adj.) 

dis  course' 

in  ex'pli  ca  ble 

prom  e  nade' 

dis  card' 

ir  rep'ar  a  ble 

py  ram'i  dal 

ex'tant 

ir  ref'ra  ga  ble 

qui'nine 

dfverse 

ir  rev'o  ca  ble 

quan'da  ry 

ex'or  9l§e 

lam'en  ta  ble 

re  gess' 

eiiVel  ope  (n.) 

leg'is  la  ture 

re  flex' 

ex'qul  §ite 

leg'is  la  tive 

re  course' 

SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  49 

re  source'  re  trib'u  tive  tl  rade'. 

re  cluse^  strat'eg  ic  te  leg'ra  pby 

re  search'  su  i  qf  dal  to  pug'ra  phy 

ro  bust'  sys  tem'ic  ve'he  ment 

ro  mance'  sub  surence  va  ga'ry 

rou  tine'  sys'to  le  va'ri  o  loid 

so  no'rous  va'ri  e  gat  ed 


ree'og  nize 


II.    Drill  ox  Accent. 

I  shall   absent'  myself  to-day  and   shall  be  ab'sent  to- 
morrow. 
Accent'  the  word  with  the  proper  ac'cent. 
Affix'  an  afi^ix  properly. 
I  shall  comment'  on  your  com'ment. 
We  confine'  the  animal  and  erect  his  con'fines. 
We  conjure'  him  not  to  con'jure. 
He  consorts'  with  his  con'sort. 
I  contest'  and  so  enter  the  con'test. 
We  contract'  and  make  a  con'tract. 
We  contrast'  and  produce  the  con'trast. 
We  convert'  and  gain  con' verts. 
We  convict'  and  confine  con'victs. 
We  desert'  into  the  des'ert  without  our  dessert'. 
We  entrance'  him  at  the  en'trance. 
We  escort'  with  an  es'cort. 
I  essay'  to  produce  an  es'say. 
We  export'  our  ex'ports. 
We  extract'  an  ex'tract. 

We  frequent'  the  hall  and  make  fre'quent  calls. 
They  misconduct'  and  are  punished  for  miscon'duct. 
We  object'  to  your  ob'ject. 
Prefiix'  the  pre'fix. 

We  prelude'  with  the  proper  prel'ude. 
We  premise'  and  give  the  base  of  the  prem'ise. 
I  present'  the  letter  and  make  a  pres'ent. 


50 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


The  trans^ports  will  transport^  the  troops. 
We  progress^  and  make  rapid  prog^ress. 
We  protest^  and  file  our  pro'test. 
We  record^  our  names  in  the  rec^ord. 
We  refuse^  to  accept  such  refuse. 
We  reprint''  and  produce  a  re'print. 
We  subject^  him  and  make  him  a  suVject. 
We  survey^  and  make  a  surVey. 


III.    Monosyllables  Often  Mispronounced. 

By  giving  a  vowel  sound  incorrectly. 


ant 

chaff 

gas 

more 

rule 

talk 

aunt 

chant 

get 

mourn 

ru§3 

true 

aft 

chair 

haunt 

none 

rinse 

to 

are 

■eatch 

haunch 

nude 

root 

toast 

ask 

daunt 

hearth 

ore 

salve 

tour 

bade 

draught 

half 

oar 

staunch 

tiibe 

balm 

draft 

halves 

parse 

sauce 

tart 

bath 

dance 

hasp 

path 

since 

tiine 

bask 

d6e§ 

home 

piilm 

source 

toad 

brass 

deaf 

jaunt 

pass 

scarce 

two 

basque 

0(TO' 

jowl 

past 

shaft 

vaunt 

blast 

ere 

joist 

pant 

staff 

vast 

bomb 

e'er 

keg 

prance 

slant 

want 

been 

fast 

laugh 

pork 

shoe 

walk 

bone 

flask 

launch 

porch 

sloth 

wan 

borne 

flaunt 

last 

pour 

smoke 

waft 

bourn 

gaunt 

lance 

prune 

spoke 

wand 

■cask 

gape 

lore 

psalm 

stone 

were 

€ast 

gasp 

law 

raft 

soon 

wound 

€alf 

grasp 

lieu 

rasp 

spoon 

wo  n't 

€lass 

glance 

mass 

roof 

taunt 

wont 

chance 

grant 

mast 

route 

task 

yet 

■eraft 

grass 

maul 

rude 

trance 

yes 

clasp 

glass 

mask 

rood 

truth 

zouaves 

SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


51 


IV. 

WoEDS  Often  Mispronounced 

By  giving  a  vowel  sound  incorrectly. 

after 

dl  verge' 

fuFmi  nate 

a/id 

di  vest' 

finable 

an'swer 

di'verse 

gen'u  ine 

a  las 

dl  vorce' 

gla'mour 

a  mass 

dl  reef 

gan'der 

a  vast 

dl  late' 

gaunt'let 

ad  vance 

dl  gest' 

gran'a  ry 

a  slant 

dl  vulge' 

guaVa 

a  gainst 

dis'trict 

gua'no 

ap  par'ent 

diic'tile 

hos'tile 

ap  pa  ra'tus 

dl  rect'ion 

liov'er 

ad  van'tage 

dl  gest'ion 

hiir'ry 

bas'ket 

di  ver'sion 

band'some 

bar'rel 

dom'i  (^ile 

haunt'ed 

bon'net 

dyil'a  mite 

hein'ous 

bon/bast 

en'gine 

her^o  ine 

bay'ou 

ep'o-eh 

i'dyl 

€a'ret 

ei'tlier 

ital'ics 

€a/rot 

e'dict 

is'o  late 

€a/at 

en  gross' 

im  pla'ca  ble 

-eask'et 

ex  tol' 

I  so  ther'mal 

-eiir'ry 

en  chant 

jaun'dice 

coffee 

e'go  tism 

joc'und 

^Srumn 

fau'^et 

jo  -eose' 

char'y 

fast'en 

ju'ven  lie 

chast'en 

fu'tile 

ju'gu  lar 

■eay  enne' 

fiil'some 

kettle 

^om'mand' 

fet'id 

lla'ma 

com  mand'ment             fe'brile 

laun'dry 

9yn'o  sure 

forg'er 

li'lac 

dauntless 

fi'brine 

li'en 

dra'ma 

fore'head 

lei'gure 

du'ty 

fur'row 

leath'er 

doc'Ile 

for  bade' 

lar'ynx 

52 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


laugl/ter 

pa/ent 

ru'by 

laVa 

pallrey 

ri/mor 

leVer 

prailie 

r&plile 

Ifchen 

paslor 

ruin 

livelong 

paslure 

lalion  al 

ma^troii 

pasllrne 

raille  ry 

marly 

piazza 

rali  0 

may^or 

plat^ter 

retlo  spect 

mon^acl 

plasler 

raliix 

nietlic 

pu^pil 

rath'er 

meaglire 

porler 

rulal 

master 

porlion 

rapine 

masliff 

porlrait 

saunler 

matter 

proQ^ess 

sau'cer 

mo^bile 

prod^uct 

stallvart 

marl  time 

prodlice  (n.) 

siip'ple 

mas^culine 

phonic 

su^et 

mu  §elim 

preFate 

suavl  ty 

man  so  lelim 

preface 

squii^rel 

me/caii  tile 

pru^dent 

slan'der 

nailed 

palri  ot 

syn'od 

neillier 

pa  tri  otic 

syrlip 

narlow 

palri  ot  ism 

selille 

nothing 

preg'en  ta  tion 

stirlup 

olal 

pi  alio 

squaKor 

only 

pi  a^nist 

tri/ant 

on'er  ous 

puis  sance 

teiVet 

0  besl  ty 

pathlvay 

tfny 

olo  tunc! 

palri  ar^h 

tiilor 

ob  lique' 

patlon  ize 

trfo 

palron 

ped'a  go  gy 

to  malo 

patlon  age 

platl  num 

tu'ber  ose 

pass^a  ble 

pleag^ure 

tap'est  ry 

pas'sage 

pleth^o  ric 

trib'une 

pass^port 

por  tray' 

tas'sel 

pas'sive  " 

ralion 

was'sail 

SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


53 


V.    Pronunciation  and  Spelling. 

Some  of  the  following  words  from  the  French  are 
fully  Anglicized;  others,  partly  so;  while  some  retain 
the  Frencli  pronunciation. 


■eou  pon 
fra^cas 
preg^tige 
pur^lieu 
truffle 
bla  §e' 
de§  §ert' 
de  tour' 
e  meute 
fa  ^ade 
f  1  nesse' 
fu'§i  lier 


gri  mace'  cogn'ac  (-eon'yac) 

gui  ]3ure'  de'pot  (de'po) 

mo  rale'  men/oir  (mem'wor) 

ou  tre'  cor'tege  (^or'tazh) 

pe  lisse'  bou  quet'  (boo  ka') 

lAiy  sique'  me  lee'  (ma  la') 

rou  tine'  me  lange'  (ma  longz'j 

rou  lette'  quad  rille'  (-ea  dril') 

souve  nir'  re  gime'  (ra  zheem') 

rou  e'  vign  ette'  (vin  yet') 

ta  bleau'  bad'i  nage  (bad'i  nazh) 

trous  seau'  am  a  teur'  (am  a  toor'j 


YI.    Proper  Names  Often  Mispronounced. 


Agassiz  (ag'a  se) 
Arab  (ar'ab) 
Aryan  (a'ry  an) 
Asia  (a'she  a) 
Avon  (a'von) 
Beatrice  (be'a  trice) 
Berlin  (ber'liu) 
Bingen  (bing'en) 
Calliope  (cal  ll'o  pe) 
Caucasian  (-eaw  ea'shun) 
Cliaron  (^ha'ron) 
Cheops  (^he'ops) 
Concord  (€ong'^urd) 
Daniel  (dan'yel) 
El  Dorado  (el  do  ra'do) 
European  (eu  ro  pe'an) 
Faneuil  Hall  (fan'el) 


Froude  (frood) 
Goethe  (giir'  te) 
Gratiano  (grii  she  a'no) 
Guyot  (ge'o) 
Guise  (gwez) 
Heine  (hi'ne) 
Hemans  (hem'aus) 
Iowa  (I'o  wa) 
Ixion  (ix  I'on) 
Khedive  (ka  deve') 
Lewes  (lew'is) 
Milan  (mil'an) 
Oberon  (ob'e  ron) 
Orion  (o  ri'on) 
Orpheus  (or'fus) 
Portia  (por'shi  a) 
Persia  (per'shi  a) 


54 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


VII.    Words  of  Difficult  Enunciation. 

Divide  into  syllables ,  and  marh  tJie  aecented  syllailes, 

abominably 

assassination 

anthropophagi 

differentiation 

dicotyledonous 

hypochondriacal 

inexplicable 

intolerable 

impracticable 

indisputable 

incorrifi^ible 


inviolably 

insuperable 

indissolubly 

infinitesimal 

indefatigable 

irremediable 

lugubrious 

meteorological 

monocotyledonous 

numismatics 

particularly 


peculiarly 

peculiarity 

perpendicularly 

ratiocination 

tergiversation 

imintelligible 

unconformability 

uninhabitable 

unhospitable 

valetudinarian 

viviparous 


VIII.    Miscellaneous  Words. 


excursion  (ex -cu/shun) 
hom^age  (li  sounded) 
huml^le  Qh  sounded) 
hon^or  {li  silent) 
hon^est  (li  silent) 
hii^mor  (Ji  silent) 
al^mond  (Z  silent) 
often  (ofn) 
soften  (sofn) 
thisaie  (this'sle) 
whis^tle  (whis'sle) 
gef tain  (geften) 
chas^ten  (chas^n) 
lithe  {th  vocal) 
blithe  {th  vocal) 


bath§  {th  vocal) 
oaths  {th  vocal) 
par  quet^  (par  ka^) 
pret^ty  (prit^) 
quay  (ke) 
span'iel  (span^yel) 
suVtile  (siib^tile) 
sul/tle  (suf tie) 
tor^toise  (to/tis) 
truths  {th  aspirate) 
A^ase  (va^e) 
youths  {th  aspirate) 
kept  {t  sounded) 
slept  {t  sounded) 
crept  {t  sounded) 


PART  II. 


PART   II. 

PRINCIPLES  IN  ELOCUTION. 


CHAPTER   I. 

EMPHASIS,    PAUSES,    AND   INFLECTIONS. 


SECTION   I. 
EMPHASIS, 

I.      TXTEODUCTORY. 


1.  Emphasis,  as  the  term  is  used  in  its  restricted  sig- 
nification, is  the  special  force  or  energy  of  voice  applied 
to  words  in  order  to  give  prominence  to  leading  ideas. 

2.  In  its  widest  signification,  however,  emioliasis  is 
used  to  include  any  means  of  distinguishing  words, 
phrases,  or  clauses,  whether  by  means  of  force,  or  inflec- 
tion, or  stress,  or  quantity,  or  pauses. 

3.  A  word  may  be  made  emphatic  by  an  intense 
whisper ;  by  a  strong  rising,  falliug,  or  circumflex  slide  ; 
by  prolonging  vowel  or  liquid  sounds ;  or  by  rhetorical 
pauses. 

4.  As  commonly  used,  however,  emphasis  relates  to 
the  degree  or  intensity  of  force.  But  the  stronger  the 
emphatic  force,  the  longer  are  the  slides,  and   the   more 

(57) 


58  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

prolonged  tlie  vowel  and  the  liquid  sounds.  It  may  here 
be  remarked  that  the  liquid,  sounds  capable  of  being 
prolonged  in  emphasis  are  /,  m,  n,  and  r.  The  short 
vowel  sounds  and  the  consonant  sounds,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Z,  m,  n,  7%  cannot  be  prolonged  in  emphasis. 

5.  "  Every  sentence,'"'  says  Prof.  William  Eussell,  "  con- 
tains one  or  more  words  which  are  prominent,  and 
peculiarly  important,  in  the  expression  of  meaning. 
These  words  are  marked  with  a  distinctive  inflection ; 
those,  in  particular,  which  illustrate  the  reading  of  strong 
emotion,  or  of  antithesis. 

6.  "The  words  wdiich  are  pronounced  with  peculiar 
inflection,  are  uttered  with  more  force  than  the  other 
words  in  the  same  sentences.  This  special  force  is  what 
is  called  emphasis.  Its  use  is  to  impress  more  strik- 
ingly on  the  mind  of  the  hearer  the  thought,  or  portion 
of  thought,  embodied  in  the  particular  word  or  phrase 
on  wdiich  it  is  laid. 

7.  "It  gives  additional  energy  to  important  points 
in  expression,  by  causing  sounds  which  are  peculiarly 
significant,  to  strike  the  ear  w^ith  an  appropriate  and 
distinguishing  force.  It  possesses,  in  regard  to  the  sense 
of  hearing,  a  similar  advantage  to  that  of  '  relief,'  or 
prominence  to  the  eye,  in  a  well-executed  picture,  in 
w^hich  the  figures  seem  to  stand  out  from  the  canvas. 

8.  "  Emphasis,  then,  being  the  manner  of  pronouncing 
the  most  significant  words,  its  oflice  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  an  intelligible  and  impressive  utterance. 
It  is  the  manner  of  uttering  emphatic  words  which 
decides  the  meaning  of  every  sentence  that  is  read  or 
spoken. 

9.  "  A  true  emphasis  conveys  a  sentiment  clearly  and 
forcibly  to  the  mind,  and  keeps  the  attention  of  an 
audience  in  active  sympathy  with  the  thoughts  of  the 
speaker ;  it  gives  full  value  and  effect  to  all  that  he 
utters,  and  secures  a  lasting  impression  on  the  memory." 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  59 

II.  Faults  in  Emphasis. 

In  animated  conversation,  most  persons  emphasize 
correctly  because  they  know  clearly  what  they  wish  to 
express ;  but,  in  reading  the  long  and  involved  sentences 
of  literary  composition,  the  faults  of  untrained  readers 
are  numerous. 

1.  Sometimes  the  emphasis  is  misplaced  because  the 
reader  does  not  clearly  comprehend  the  sense  of  what 
is  read. 

2.  Sometimes  the  emphasis  is  applied  at  random,  with- 
out reference  to  prominent  ideas. 

3.  Sometimes  the  imtrained  reader  reads  in  a  dull, 
monotonous  tone,  without  any  empliasis  whatever. 

4.  N"ot  unfrequently  the  pupil  overdoes  the  emphasis, 
and  reads  in  a  jerky,  dogmatic  manner. 

5.  There  is  often  a  tendency  to  a  regular  recurrence 
of  emphasis,  combined  with  the  falling  inflection,  on 
random  words,  particularly  at  the  end  of  every  line  of 
poetry,  or  of  every  alternate  line,  or  at  the  end  of  every 
phrase  or  clause. 

III.    General  Principles  of  Emphasis. 

1.  Words  or  groups  of  words  that  express  leading 
ideas  are  emphatic;  those  that  express  what  is  compar- 
atively unimportant,  or  that  merely  repeat  what  has 
been  previously  stated,  are  unempliatic. 

2.  Words  expressing  contrast  of  ideas  are  emphatic. 

3.  The  subject  and  predicate  of  a  sentence  are,  in 
general,  e  mpha  tic. 

4.  Articles,  pronouns,  and  connectives  are,  in  general, 
unemp)hatic,  though  any  part  of  speech  may  sometimes 
become  emphatic. 

5.  The  emphatic  words  of  a  sentence  are  generally 
the  \vords  most  strongly  marked  by  the  rising,  falling, 
or  circumflex  inflection. 


60  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

IV.    Distinction  of  Emphasis. 

Emphasis  may  be  divided  into  two  kinds,  antithetic 
or  relative  emphasis,  and  absolute  emphasis. 

Antithetic  emphasis  is  applied  to  words  that  indicate 
contrast  of  ideas :  Absolute  emphasis  is  used  to  sliow 
the  importance  of  a  single  word  or  to  express  feeling, 
emotion,  or  passion. 

The  degree  of  emphasis  to  be  applied  to  words  may 
be  considered  as  slight,  moderate,  or  strong. 

Y.    Examples  of  Antithetic  Emphasis. 

1.  He  is  not  a  friend  but  an  enemy. 

2.  He  raised  a  mortal  to  the  skies. 
She  drew  an  angel  down. 

3.  To  he  or  not  to  be — that  is  the  question. 

4.  I  come  to  hilry  Ciesar,  not  to  praise  him. 

5.  As  for  7ne,  give  me  liberty  or  give  me  death. 

6.  You  cannot  dd  wrong  without  suffering  wrong. 

7.  He  that  cannot  bear  a  jest  should  not  make  one. 

8.  I  said  my  father,  not  my  mdtlier. 

9.  Tdlent  is  power  ;   tact  is  slML 

10.  After  the  snoio,  the  emerald  leaves, 
After  the  harvest,  golden  sheaves. 

11.  He  spoke  for  education,  not  against  it. 

12.  The  clerk,  in  letting  Scrooge's  nephew  6ut,  had 
let  two  other  people  \n. 

13.  Put  not  your  trust  in  money,  but  put  your  money 
in  trilst. 

14.  The  ndblest  mind  the  best  contentment  has. 

15.  Be  thou  familiar,  but  by  no  means  vidgar. 

16.  Give  every  man  thine  ear,  but  few  thy  iMce. 

17.  Take  each  man's  censure,  but  reserve  thy  judgment. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  61 

18.      COMPENSATION. 

PoldHty,  or  action  and  7'eaction,  we  meet  in  every 
part  of  nccturc — in  ddrhiess  and  light ;  in  heat  and  cold; 
in  the  ehb  and  fibvj  of  waters;  in  male  and  female;  in 
the  inspiration  and  expiration  of  plants  and  cinimals ; 
in  the  equation  of  quantity  and  quhlity  in  the  fluids  of 
the  animal  Z>o<i7/  ;  in  the  systole  and  clidstolc  of  the  Aear^  ; 
in  the  unduhitions  of  fluids  and  of  sound ;  in  the  cc7i- 
trifiigal  and  centripetal  gravity ;  in  electricity,  galvanism^ 
and  chemical  affinity.  Superinduce  magnetism  at  o/ie  end 
of  a  needle,  the  opposite  magnetism  takes  place  at  the 
other  end.  If  the  south  attracts,  the  north  rejMs,  To 
empty  here,  you  must  condense  there.  An  inevitable 
ducdism  bisects  ndture,  so  that  each  thing  is  a  half  and 
suggests  another  thing  to  make  it  whole  ;  as,  spirit,  rnM- 
ter ;  mcin,  woman;  odd,  even;  slJibjcctive,  objective;  in, 
out;  upper,  tinder;  motion,  rest;  yea,  nhy. 

All  things  are  double,  one  against  ttnother — tit  for  tdt ; 
an  eye  for  an  eye;  a  tooth  for  a  iboth ;  blood  for  blood; 
measure  for  measure ;  love  for  Ihve.  Give  and  it  shall 
be  glvc7i  you.  He  that  ivdtereth  shall  be  watered  him- 
self  What  will  you  have?  quoth  Gckl ;  pay  for  it  and 
take  it.  I^othing  venture,  nothing  have.  Thou  shalt  be 
paid  exactly  for  what  thou  hast  done,  no  m6rc,  no  less. 
Who  doth  not  worlz  shall  not  eat.  emekson. 

YI.    Examples  of  Absolute  Emphasis. 

Absolute  emphasis  is  applied  to  words  according  to 
their  importance  in  the  sentence,  or  according  to  the 
degree  of  emotion  or  passion  to  be  expressed.  When  words 
are  repeated  for  the  purpose  of  intensifying  emotion, 
each   successive   repetition  is  more   forcibly  emphasized. 

1.  It  was  a  turkey  !  He  never  could  have  stood  upon 
his  legs,  that  bird.  He  Avould  have  snapped  'em  slwrt 
off  in  a  minute,  like  sticks  of  sealing-wax. 


62  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

2.  What  is  it  that  gentlemen  wish  ?  What  would  they 
have  ? 

3.  "  Revenge  !  revenge  ! "   the  Saxons  cried. 

4.  Then  rose  the  terrible  cry  of  fire  !  fire  !  fire  ! 

5.  We  must  fight;   I  repeat  it,  sir,  we  must  fight ! 

6.  "To  dr77is !  to  arms !   to  arms  I "   they  cry. 

7.    Happy,  hdpj^g,  happy  pair  1 
Kone  but  the  hrdve, 
None  hut  the  hrdve. 
None  hit  the  hrdve  deserves  the  fair! 

8.       CHRISTMAS    CAROL. 

"Why,  bless  my  soul!"  cried  Fred,  "who's  thatV 
"It's  /.     Your  uncle  Scrooge.     I  have  come  to  dinner. 
Will  you  let  me  m,  Fred  ? " 

Let  him  in!  It  is  a  mercy  he  didn't  shake  his  arm 
off.  He  was  at  home  in  five  minutes.  ^Nothing  could 
be  heartier.  His  niece  looked  just  the  same.  So  did 
Topper,  when  he  came.  So  did  the  plump  sister,  when 
she  came.  So  did  every  one  wlien  they  came.  TVonder- 
fal  party,  tvonderfal  games,  woiulerful  unanimity,  won- 
derfid  happiness!  dickexs. 

9.     grandmother's  story  of  bunker-hill  battle. 
Then  we  cried,  "Tlie  troops  are  routed!  they  are  heat — 

it  can't  be  doubted ! 
God  he  thanked,  the  fight  is  over ! " — Ah  !   tlie  grim  old 

soldier's  smile ! 
Tell   us,  TELL    us  why   you   look   so  ?    (we    could    hardly 

speak  we  shook  so.) 
"Are  they  heateni   are  they  beaten?   are  they  beaten?" 
—"Wait  awhile." 

^  ^  yf:  ^  T^  ¥^  ^ 

And  we  shout,  "At  last  they're  dbne  for;  it's  the  harges 

they  have  run  for : 
They  are    bfeaten !    heaten !    beaten'  I    and  the   battle 's 

over  now."  holmes. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  63 

10.       INDEPENDENCE. 

But  whatever  may  be  our  fate,  be  assured — he  ass{Lred 
that  this  declaration  will  stand.  ■  It  may  cost  treasurCy 
and  it  may  cost  hlbod ;  but  it  will  stand,  and  it  will 
richly  compensate  for  hbtJi.  Through  the  thick  gloom 
of  the  ^9?^^'sc?i^,  I  see  the  brightness  of  the  future,  as  the 
sun  in  heaven.  We  shall  make  this  a  glorious^  an  im- 
mortal  day.  When  lue  are  in  our  graves,  our  cMldren 
will  honor  it.  They  will  celebrate  it  with  thanksgiving, 
with  festivity,  with  hbnfires,  and  illitmindtions.  On  its 
annual  return,  they  will  shed  tears,  cbpioits,  gushing  tfears ; 
not  of  suhjection  and  slavery,  not  of  agony  and  distress, 
but  of  exultation,  of  gratitude,  and  oi  joy. 

My  judgment  aj^p'oves  this  measure,  and  my  whole 
Ziedr^  is  in  it.  All  that  I  7zdv^,  and  all  that  I  am,  and 
all  that  I  hbpe  in  this  life,  I  am  now  ready  here  to 
stake  upon  it;  and  I  leave  off  as  I  began,  that,  live  or 
die,  survive  or  ^perish,  I  am  for  the  declaration. 

Webster. 
11.       UNCLE   TOBY. 

"In  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks,'*  said  my  uncle  Toby, 
smiling,  "he  might  march."  "He. will  never  march,  an' 
please  your  honor,  in  tMs  world,"  said  the  corporal. 
"He  will  march,"  said  my  uncle  Toby,  rising  up  with 
one  shoe  off.  "An'  please  your  honor,"  said  the  corporal, 
"he  will  never  march  but  to  his  grave.''  "He  shall 
march,"  cried  my  uncle  Toby;  "he  vshall  march  to  his 
regiment.''  "He  can  not  stand  it,"  said  the  corporal. 
"He  shall  be  supported,"  said  my  uncle  Toby.  "Ah, 
well-a-day,  do  what  we  can  for  him,"  said  Trim,  main- 
taining his  point,  "  the  poor  soul  will  dne."  "  He  shall 
ndt,"  shouted  my  uncle  Toby,  with  an  oath.  The  Accus- 
ing Spirit  which  flew  up  to  heaven's  chancery,  blushed 
as  he  gave  it  in,  and  the  Eecording  Angel,  as  he  wrote 
it  down,  dropped  a  tear  upon  the  word  and  blotted  it 
out  forever.  sterne. 


64  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

SECTION  II. 
PAUSES. 

1.  The  pauses  made  in  reading  or  speaking  may  be 
classed  as  grammatical,  rhetorical,  and  emphatic  or  emo- 
tional. 

2.  Grammatical  pauses  are  those  indicated  by  punctua- 
tion ;  rhetorical  pauses  are  those  required  by  the  structure 
of  the  sentence,  or  by  emphasis ;  and  emphatic  pauses, 
those  expressive  of  deep  feeling  or  passion. 

3.  These  pauses  may  be  relatively  long,  moderate,  or 
short,  according  to  the  general  style  of  expression  ap- 
propriate to  what  is  read;  but  without  due  attention 
to  them,  it  is  impossible  properly  to  emphasize  prose, 
or  to  express  the  melody  of  verse. 

4.  Concerning  pauses.  Prof.  Eussell  says :  ''  The  ces- 
sation of  the  voice  at  proper  intervals  has  the  same 
effect,  nearly,  on  clauses  and  sentences  with  that  of 
articulation  on  syllables,  or  of  pronunciation  on  words : 
it  serves  to  gather  up  the  sounds  of  the  voice  into  rela- 
tive portions,  and  aids  in  preserving  clearness  and  dis- 
tinction among  them.  But  what  those  elementary  and 
organic  efforts  do  for  syllables  and  words — the  minor 
portions  of  speech— pausing  does  for  clauses,  sentences, 
and  entire  discourses. 

5.  "  The  great  use  of  pauses  is  to  divide  thought  into 
its  constituent  portions,  and  to  leave  the  mind  oppor- 
tunity of  contemplating  each  distinctly,  so  as  fully  to 
comprehend  and  appreciate  it,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to 
perceive  its  relation  to  the  whole.  Appropriate  pauses 
are  of  vast  importance,  therefore,  to  a  correct  and  im- 
pressive style  of  delivery;  and  without  them,  indeed, 
speech  cannot  be  intelligible. 

6.  "Pausing  has,  further,  a  distinct  office  to  perform 
in  regard  to  the  effect  of  feeling  as  conveyed  by  utter- 
ance.    Awe  and  solemnity  are  expressed  by  long  cessa- 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  65 

tions  of  the  voice ;  and  grief,  when  it  is  deep,  and  at 
the  same  time  suppressed,  requires  frequent  and  long 
pauses. 

7.  "The  general  effect,  however,  of  correct  and  well- 
timed  pauses,  is  what  most  requires  attention.  The 
manner  of  a  good  reader  or  speaker  is  distinguished,  in 
this  particular,  by  clearness,  impressiveness,  and  dignity 
arising  from  the  full  conception  of  meaning,  and  the 
deliberate  and  distinct  expression  of  it ;  while  nothing- 
is  so  indicative  of  want  of  attention  and  of  self-com- 
mand, and  nothing  is  so  unhappy  in  its  effect,  as  haste 
and  confusion." 

I.    Grammatical  Pauses. 

Grammatical  pauses,  or  the  pauses  indicated  by  punc- 
tuation, have  no  fixed  length.  They  depend,  to  some 
extent,  on  the  character  of  the  piece  to  be  read.  When 
the  general  movement  or  rate  is  slow,  the  pauses  are 
relatively  long ;  when  the  movement  is  fast,  the  pauses 
are  relatively  sliort.  The  general  principles  that  govern 
grammatical  pauses  may  be  stated  as  follows  : 

1.  In  general,  a  slight  ^^ai^s^  at  a  comma  ;  a  longer 
pause  at  a  semicolon  ;  and  a  still  longer  pause  at  a  period. 

2.  A  full  pausCy  longer  than  at  a  2^criod,  is  required 
at  the  end  of  a  paragraph  of  prose,  or  of  a  stanza  of 
poetry. 

This  pause  is  made  to  enable  the  hearer  to  note  the 
subdivisions  of  a  piece,  and  to  afford  the  reader  time 
for  a  slight  rest. 

II.   Ehetorical  Pauses. 

1.  Ehetorical  pauses  are  pauses  not  indicated  by  punc- 
tuation, but  which  are  made  in  reading,  generally  for 
the  purpose  of  emphasis  or  expression.  Attention-  to 
these  pauses  is  absolutely  essential  to  good  reading. 

2.  Tlie  general  tendency  of  pupils  to  read  too  fast  is 

5 


66  SCJKOOL    ELOGIITl:om 

owibg,  ill  no  small  degree,  to  a  neglect  of  the  pauses 
necessary  to  effective  utterance.  Both  the  hearer  and 
the  reader  must  have  tirae  to  tJdnk.  These  pauses,  too, 
afford  the  reader  time  to  renew  the.^  breath,  and  thus 
keep  the  lungs  well  supplied  with  air. 

3.  A  continuous  stream  of  rapid  utterance  soon  wea- 
ries the  hearer,  because  the  speaker  neither  takes  time 
to  think,  nor  allows  his  hearers  time  to  do  so.  The; 
trained  extemporaneous  speaker  talks  with  deliberation, 
and  the  trained  reader  reads  in  the  same  manner. 
.  4:  We.: read  words  by  groups,  not  by  disconnected 
units.  The  beginner  laboriously  calls  out  each  word  of 
a  sentence  independently,  with  a  pause  after  each  word, 
thus : 

"The  I  black  I  cat  |  caught  |  a  |  big  |  rat  ]  in  |  the  | 
barn."  ^   ^  V   ^       ' 

A  good  reader  will  read  this  sentence  in  groups,  as 
indicated  by  the  hyphenized  words,  thus: 

"  The-black-cat  1  cauglit-a-big-rat  |  in-the-barn." 

5.  Pupils,  whose  attention  is  directed  to  the  manner 
in  which  tliey  run  words  together  in  speaking  and  I'ead- 
iug,  with  pauses  between  the  groups,  will  notice  that 
adjectives  are  grouped  with  the  nouns  which  they  mod- 
ify ;  adverbc,  with  verbs  or  adjectives  or  other  adverbs ; 
prepositions,  with  their  objects ;  pronouns,  with  the  words 
they  modify  ;  and  auxiliaries,  with  their  principal  verbs 
—in  other  words,  that  we  speak  in  phrases  and  clauses. 
•  G.  They  will  notice,  further,  that  when  the  subject  of 
a  verb  is  a  noun,  or  when  it  is  modified  by  a  phrase 
or  a  clause,  there  is  a  rhetorical  pause  between  the  sub- 
ject and  the  predicate. 

A  COMMON  FAUIiT. 

7-  "The  common  fault  in  regard  to  pauses,"  says 
Prof.  Eussell,  "is  that  they  are  made  too  short  for 
clear  .and  distinct  expression. 


.SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  67 

8.  "  Feeble  utterance  and  defective  emphasis,  along 
with  rapid  articulation,  usually  combine  to  piroduce  this 
fault  in  young  readers  and  speakers.  For,  whatever 
force  of  utterance  or  energy  of  emphasis,  or  whatever 
rate  of  articulation  we  accustom  ourselves  to  use,  our 
pauses  are  always  in  proportion  to  it. 

9.  "Undue  brevity  in  pausing  has  a  like  bad  effect 
with  too  rapid  articulation  :  it  produces  obscurity  and 
confusion  in  speech,  or  imparts  sentiment  in  a  manner 
which  is  deficient  and  unimpressive,  and  prevents  the 
proper  effect  both  of  thought  and  language. 

10.  "  To  be  fully  convinced  how  much  of  the  clear- 
ness, force,  and  dignity  of  style  depends  on  due  pauses, 
we  have  only  to  revert  for  a  moment  to  the  effect  of 
rapid  reading  on  a  passage  of  Milton,  and  observe  what 
an  utter  subversion  of  the  characteristic  sublimity  of  the 
author  seems  to  take  place.  This  instance  is,  no  doubt, 
a  strong  and  peculiar  one.  But  a  similar  result,  though 
less  striking,  may  be  traced  in  the  hurried  reading  of  any 
piece  of  composition  characterized  by  force  of  thouglit 
or  dignity  of  expression. 

11.  "  When  habitual  rapidity  of  voice,  and  omission 
of  pauses,  are  difficult  to  correct,  the  learner  may  be 
required  to  accomimny  the  teacher  s  voice  in  the  practice 
of  sentences.  This  simultaneous  reading,  if  sufficiently 
long  continued,  will  probably  prove  effectual  for  the 
cure  of  habitual  faults.  A  second  stage  of  progress 
may  be  entered  on,  when  the  learner's  improvement  will 
warrant  it;  and  he  may  be  permitted  to  read  after  the 
teacher. 

12.  "Pupils  who  possess  an  ear  for  music,  may  be 
taught  to  observe  that  there  is  in  reading  and  speaking 
a  'time,'  as  distinct  and  perceptible,  and  as^  important, 
as  in  singing,  or  in  performing  on  any  instrument  *  and 
'that  pauses  are  uniformly  measured  with  reference  to 
this  time." 


68  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION, 


DRILL    EXERCISES. 


13.  The  careful  study  of  a  few  selections  for  the  pur- 
pose of  marking  pauses,  emphasis,  and  inflection,  is  also 
an  excellent  exercise  in  parsing  and  analysis.  This 
method  is  a  slow  one,  but  it  will  lead  to  thoughtful, 
careful,  and,  expressive  reading. 

14.  For  the  purpose  of  aiding  pupils  to  gain  a  clear 
comprehension  of  this  subject,  general  principles  are 
applied  under  a  number  of  definite  rules,  which  are 
illustrated  by  copious  examples.  The  value  of  thorough 
drill  on  these  examples  cannot  be  overestimated. 

15.  If  any  teachers  object  to  formal  rules,  the  follow- 
ing remarks  of  Prof  Eussell  are  commended  to  their 
attention  : 

16.  '*  Persons,  even,  who  admit  the  use  of  rules  on  other 
subjects,  contend,  that,  in  reading  and  speaking,  no  rules 
are  necessary ;  that  a  correct  ear  is  a  sufficient  guide, 
and  the  only  safe  one.  If,  by  a  'correct  ear,'  be  meant 
a  vague  exercise  of  feeling  or  of  taste,  unfounded  on  a 
principle,  the  guidance  will  prove  to  be  that  of  conjec- 
ture, fancy,  or  whim.  But  if,  by  a  '  correct  ear,'  be 
meant  an  intuitive  exercise  of  judgment  or  of  taste, 
consciously  or  unconsciously  recognizing  a  principle, 
then  is  there  virtually  implied  a  latent  rule ;  and  the 
instructor's  express  office,  is,  to  aid  his  pupil  in  detect- 
ing, applying,  and  retaining  that  rule. 

17.  "  Systematic  rules  are  not  arbitrary ;  they  are 
founded  on  observation  and  experience.  No  one  who  is 
not  ignorant  of  their  meaning  and  application,  will  ob- 
ject to  them,  merely  because  they  are  systematic,  well 
defined,  and  easily  understood  :  every  reflective  student 
of  any  art,  prefers  systematic  knowledge  to  conjectural 
judgment,  and  seizes  with  avidity  on  a  principle,  be- 
cause he  knov»'s  that  it  involves  those  rules  which  are 
the  guides  of  practice." 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  69 

III.      EULES   FOR   EhETORICAL   PAUSES. 

Ride  /.  A  rhetorical  pause  should  he  made  between  the 
subject  and  the  predicate  of  a  sentence  ivhen  the  subject  is 
emphatic,  or  when  it  consists  of  a  phrase  or  a  clause,  or 
of  a  noun  modified  by  a  phrase  or  a  clause, 

EXAMPLES. 

1.   Art  I  is  long,  and  time  \  is  fleeting, 
And  the  grave  \  is  not  its  goal. 

2.  To  err  \  is  human,  to  forgive,  divine. 

3.  To  reach  the  Indies  |  was  the  object  of  Columbus. 

4.  How  he  found  his  way  out  |  is  not  known. 

5.  Whom  the  gods  love  |  die  young  |  was  said  of  you. 

6.  Who  steals  my  purse  |  steals  trash. 

7.  No  wind  that  blew  [  was  bitterer  than  he. 

8.  Not  to  know  me  \  argues  yourself  \  unknown. 

9.  It  was  for  him>  \  that  the  mn  had  been  darkened, 
that  the  rbchs  \  had  been  rent,  that  the  dead  \  had  risen, 
that  cdl  nature  \  had  shuddered  at  the  sufferings  of  her 
expiring  God.  Decdh  \  had  lost  its  terrors  \  and  pleasure 
its  charms. 

Turn  to  any  unynarkcd  selection  in  Part  III.  and  require  piqnls  to 
point  out  further  illustrations  of  this  rule. 

Eule  II.  Make  a  rhetorical  pause  before  a  clause  used 
as  a  predicate  nominative,  or  as  the  object  of  a.  verb. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  The  truth  is  |  he  knows  nothing  about  the  subject. 

2.  It  was  in  midwinter  |  that  the  Pilgrims  landed  at 
Plymouth. 

3.  I  do  not  know  |  where  he  went. 

4.  He  did  not  say  |  when  he  should  go. 

5.    I  wish  1  that  friends  were  always  true, 
And  motives  always  pure ; 
I  wish  I  the  good  w^ere  not  so  few, 
I  wish  I  the  bad  were  fewer. 


V 


70  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  '> 

Huh  III.  Make  a  rhetorical  pause  after  introductory 
or  transposed  adverbial  words,  ]3lirases,  or  clauses. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  Slowly  "and  sadly  |  we  laid  him  down. 

2.  Forth  in  the  pleasing  spring  |  thy  beauty  walks. 

3.  In  their  ragged  regimentals  |  stood  the  old  conti- 
nentals. 

4.  If  lie  did  that  |  he  ought  to  be  punished. 

5.  During  that  terrible  storm  |  the  ship  foundered. 

6.  Who  she  was  |  nobody  knows. 

7.  In  all  its  history  |  the  Constitution  has  been  beneti- 
cent. 

8.  And  up  the  steep  |  barbarian  monarchs  ride. 

9.    Down  I  came  the  blow !  but  in  the  heath 
The  erring  blade  found  bloodless  sheath. 

Eule  IV.  Unless  the  phrases  or  clanses  are  short  or 
xery  closely  connected,  make  a  rhetorical  pause  he/ore 
adjective  or  adverbial  phrases  or  clanses. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  There  is  a  reaper  |  whose  name  is  Death. 

2.  He  is  the  same  man  |  that  you  spoke  of. 

3.  I  will  go  I  when  you  are  ready. 

4.  Let  me  have  men  about  me  |  that  are  fat. 

-5.    The   swallows  |  that    build   their   nests   in   the   old 
barn  |  migrate  |  when  winter  comes. 

•  6.  Our  fathers  raised  their  flag  against  a  power  f  to 
which,  for  purposes  of  foreign  conquest  and  subjuga- 
tion, Eome,  in  the  height  of  her  glory,  is  not  to  be 
compared — a  power  |  which  has  dotted  the  surface  of 
the  whole  globe  |  with  her  possessions  |  and  military 
posts;  whose  morning  drum-beat,  following  tlie  sun  in 
his  course,  and  keeping  pace  with  the  hours,  daily  circles 
the  earth  [  with  one  continuous  and  unbroken  strain  | 
of  the  martial  airs  of  England.  wfbstfp 


SCHOOL  elocution:  71 

.:  llulc  V:  Mcdce  a  pause  lefore  and  after  aiherhs  -07- 
adverbial  phrases  transposed-  so  as  to  hreak  the  refj^ular 
order  of  arrangement 

EXAMPI.ES. 

1.  The  plowman  j  homeward  |  plods  his  weary  way. 

2.  And  some  |  to  happy  homes  |  repair. 
-    3.   As^ve  I  to  higher  levels  |  rise. 

4.   Who  I  of  this  crowd  |  to-night  |  shall  tread 
The  dance  |  tiir  daylight  |  gleam  again  ? 

5.  If  Memory  I  o'er  their  tomb  |  no  trophies  raise. 

6.  Await  I  alike  |  the  inevitable  hour.  : 
7. :  Their  furrow  |  oft  |  the  stubborn  glebe  has  broke. 


Rule  FT.  In  sentences  introduqed  hy  idiomatic  it  or 
there,  make  a  rhetorical  pause  hefore  the  suhject-phrase 
or  clause  that  is  placed  after  the  iircdicatc. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  There  came  to  the  beach  |  a  poor  exile  of  Erin.   , 

2.  It  is  not  known  |  how  the  prisoner  made  his  escape' 

3.  It  is  not  true  |  that  the  jDoet  paints  a  life  that  doeS 
not  exist. 

4.  There  lies  |  on  the  table  before  me  |  all  that  lie 
had  written  of  his  latest  and  last  story. 

Rule  VII.  Make  a  o^hetorical  pause  after  j^:?rcf/2Crt^e 
adjectives  used  to  introduce  a  sentence ,  and  after  nouns 
or  'pronouns  in  the  objective  case  when  they  are  trans- 
posed so  as  to  come  before  the  verbs  which  govern  them. 

EXAMPI.ES. 

1.  Sw^eet  I  are  the  uses  of  adversity. 

2.  Few  and  short  |  were  the  prayers  we  said. 

3.  How  sweet  and  solemn  |  is  this  midnight  scene. 

4.  Thee  |  I  revisit  now  |  with  bolder  wing. 

5.  And  all  the:  air.  |  a  solemn' stillness  |  holds. 


72  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Rule  VIII.  When  an  ellipsis  of  the  verb  occurs  in  a 
sentence,  make  a  rhetorical  pause. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  Homer  was  the  greater  genius ;  Virgil  |  [was]  the 
better  artist.  In  the  one  |  we  most  admire  the  man ;  in 
the  other — [we  most  admire]  the  work. 

2.  Death  had  lost  its  terrors,  and  pleasure  |  [had 
lost]  its  charms. 

3.  Their  palaces  were  houses  |  not  made  with  hands; 
their  diadems  |  [were]  crowns  of  glorv  which  should 
never  fade  away. 

4.  Lands  |  he  could  measure,  terms  and  tides  \  [he 
could]  presage. 

5.  Thy  waters  wasted  them  while  they  were  free,  and 
many  a  tyrant     [has  wasted  them]  since. 

Require  the  class  to  find  five  additional  examples. 

Bide  IX.  Unless  the  grammatical  connection  is  very 
close,  a  short  pause  should  he  made  at  the  end  of  every 
line  of  poetry,  to  mark  the  p>octiG  rhythm. 

EXAMPI.ES. 

1.       PAP.ADISE   LOST. 

Anon  I  out  of  the  earth  |  a  fabric  huge  | 
Eose  like  an  exhalation,  with  the  sound  | 
Of  dulcet  symphonies,  and  voices  sweet. 
Built  like  a  temple,  where  pilasters  |  round 
Were  set,  and  Doric  pillars,  overlaid  | 
With  golden  architrave.  Milton. 

2.       POWEIl   OF   MUSIC. 

Twas  at  the  royal  feast,  for  Persia  won  | 

By  Philip's  warlike  son — 
Aloft  in  awful  state  | 
The  godlike  hero  sate  | 

On  his  imperial  throne.  dkyden. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  73 

3.      THE   SHIPWRECK. 

'T  was  twilight,  for  the  sunless  day  went  down  | 

Over  the  waste  of  waters,  like  a  veil  | 
Which,  if  withdrawn,  would  but  disclose  the  frown  | 

Of  one  I  whose  hate  |  is  masked  but  to  assail. 
Thus  to  tlieir  hopeless  eyes  |  the  night  was  shown, 

And  grimly  darkled  o'er  their  faces  pale, 
And  the  dim,  desolate  deep;   twelve  days  |  had  Fear  | 
Been  their  familiar,  and  now  Death  \  was  here, 

Byron. 

4.       THE   LADDER   OF   ST.    AUGUSTINE. 

All  these  |  must  first  be  trampled  down  | 
Beneath  our  feet  |  if  we  would  gain  | 

In  the  bright  fields  of  fair  renown  | 

The  right  |  of  eminent  domain.  Longfellow. 


IV.    Emphatic  Pauses. 

EuU  /.  Emphatic  'pauses  occur  when  the  reader  desires 
to  call  marked  attention  to  some  word  or  group  of  words, 

EXAMPLES, 

1.  The  penalty  was  |    |    |  deaih. 

2.  My  answer  would  be    |    \  a  blow. 

3.    You  call  me  dog;  and  for  these  courtesies 
I  '11  lend  you  |  thus  \  much  \  moneys, 

4.    Hath  a  clog  \  money  ?     Is  it  possible  | 

A  cur  I    j  can  lend  |    |    ]  three  \    \  thousand  \    \  ducats  ! 

5.    Eider   and  horse,  friend,  foe,   in  one  \  red  \  hnrial  | 

hlent. 

G.  They  did  not  see  one  \  man,  not  \  6ne  \  wbman,  \  \ 
not  I  one  \  child,  not  one  \  four-footed  least  \  \  of  any  de- 
scription-  \  \  whatever.  One  \  dead  \  uniform  \  silence  I  | 
reigned  \  over  the  whole  region  .  burke. 


7t  S  C  H  0  0  L    E  LC)  Cf^U^T  I  ON . 

7.   The  love  tliat  loves  a  scarlet  coat 
Should  be  I    I  more  uniform.. 

8.       BUNKER    HILL. 

Just  a  glimpse   (the  air  is  clearer),  they  are   nearer  |    | 

nearer  |    |  nearer, 
When  a  flash — a  curling   smoke-wreath— then  a  crash — 

the  steeple  shakes; 
The  deadly  truce  is   ended ;  |    [the   tempest's   shroud    is 

rended ;  |    | 
Like  a  morning  mist  it  gathered,  |    |  like  a  thunder  cloud 

I    I  it  breaks. 

All  througli  those  hours  of  trial,  I  had  watclied  a  calm 

clock-dial, 
As  the  hands  kept  creeping,  \    \  creeping,  \    \    \  they  were 

creeping  |    |  round  to  four.  holmes. 


V.    Eecapitulatiqn  OF  Pauses. 

1.  In  general,  a  rhetorical  j^cc^ise  sJioiild  he  made  between 
the  subject  and  the  jTredicate,  vMn  the  subject-  is  enq^hcitlc, 
or  when  it  consists  of  a  phrase,  a  clause,,  or  a  noun  mod- 
ified  by  a  phrase  or  a  clause. 

2.  A  rhetorical  pause  should  be  made  wlunever  the 
regular  order  of ,  a  sentence  is  broken  hy  the  inversion  of 
words,  phrases,  or  clauses. 

^.  An  emphatic  pause  occurs,  before  any  word  that  is 
very  strongly  emphatic,  or  to  which  the  reader  or  speaker 
desires  to  call  marked  attention. 


SCHOOL    EL'OCUTrON.  75 

SECTION   III. 

INFLECTION, 

I.    Introductory  Eemarks. 

1.  In  all  good  speaking  or  reading,  there  must  be 
ever- varying  upward  and  downward  slides  of  the  voice. 
Inflection  is  a  means,  not  only  of  expressing  emotion, 
passion,  and  emphasis,  but,  also,  of  conveying  the  finer 
distinctions  and  contrasts  of  ideas,  and  the  more  delicate 
shades  of  feeling  and  sentiment. 

2.  Inflection  forms  an  important  element  of  emphasis : 
for  emphasis  consists,  not  only  i\i  force,  but  also  in  tlie 
slides  and  in  quantity. 

3.  Eeading,  when  it  lacks  the  melody  of  varied  em- 
phasis and  inflection,  becomes  like  the  monotonous 
droning  of  children Mvho  laboriously  pronounce  the  suc- 
cessive words  of  their  reading  lesson  in  the  conven- 
tional school  tone. 

4.  In  animated  conversation,  and  in  the  reading  of 
simple  stories,  the  inflections  take  care  of  themselves 
without  thought  by  the  speaker  or  reader;  but  in  the 
long  and  often  inverted  sentences  of  finished  prose  or 
poetry,  involving  a  liiglier  and  more  complicated  order 
of  thouglit,  the  proper  application  of  emphasis  and 
inflection  requires  some  knowledge  of  the  principles  of 
elocution. 

5.  While  it  is  true  that  a  clear  conception  of  the 
spirit  and  meaning  by  the  reader'  is  essential  to  good 
reading,  it  is  equally  true  that,  having  the  right  con- 
ception, the  reader  niay  fail  to  convey  it  to  the  hearer, 
from  ignorance  of  the  principles  that  govern  the  correct 
expression  of  thought  and  feeling. 

6.  Good  reading,  like  fine  singing,  is  the  result  of 
systematic  training — is  the  product  of  culture  and  art. 
There    are    good    natural    voices    both    for    sinoino'    and 


76  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

reading,  but  a  fine  singer,  without  training  in  the  science 
and  art  of  music,  is  as  rare  as  is  a  good  reader  of  gen- 
eral English  literature,  who  is  ignorant  of  the  principles 
of  elocution,  and  untrained  in  the  management  of  the 
voice. 

7.  The  real  object  of  school  elocution  is,  not  to  enable 
pupils  to  read  by  imitation  a  few  selected  pieces  in  the 
style  of  an  actor,  but  to  make  thoughtful  and  intelli- 
gent readers  independent  of  the  assistance  of  teachers. 

8.  One  reason  for  the  full  treatment  of  inflection  in 
this  book  is  the  great  importance  of  the  subject  as  a 
means  of  expressive  and  impressive  reading. 

9.  Another  reason  is  the  cursory  maimer  in  which 
the  few  introductory  rules  and  illustrations  are  taken 
up  in  the  grammar  school.  Teachers  of  high  schools 
and  normal  schools  are  aware  of  the  fact  that  many  of 
their  pupils  come  into  school  not  only  ignorant  of  the 
principles  of  inflection,  but  also  so  untrained  in  the 
management  of  the  voice  that  they  cannot  give  the 
correct  inflections  even  when  indicated,  and  sometimes 
cannot  even  imitate  them  when  given  by  the  teacher. 

10.  It  is  not  unreasonable  to  expect  that,  in  high  and 
normal  schools,  there  should  be  training  enough  to 
enable  students  themselves  to  apply  the  general  prin- 
ciples of  elocution ;  and  that  there  should  be  practice 
enough  to  secure  some  flexibility  in  the  management  of 
the  voice. 

11.  Expression  in  reading  depends  largely  on  the  vari- 
ety produced  by  the  proper  and  effective  application  of 
the  slides.  There  is  no  excuse  for  the  neglect  that  leads 
to  the  monotonous  and  lifeless  style  of  reading  charac- 
teristic of  many  high  schools  and  colleges. 

"  This  school-tone,"  says  Prof.  Eussell,  "  can  be  tol- 
erated only  in  a  law  paper,  a  state  document,  a  bill  of 
lading,  or  an  invoice,  in  the  reading  of  which  the  mere 
distinct  enunciation  of  the  words   is    deemed   sufficient. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  77 

In  other  circunistances,  it.  kills,  with  inevitable  certainty, 
everything  like  feeling  or  expression." 

12.  The  careful  study  of  an  extract  from  some  stand- 
ard author,  for  the  purpose  of  marking  it  for  inflection, 
emphasis,  and  pauses,  is  an  intellectual  discipline  of  no 
mean  order.  It  combines,  in  one  lesson,  rhetoric,  gram- 
mar, and  elocution. 

13.  It  matters  little  whether  aspiring  elocutionists  can 
or  can  not  render  effectively  such  pieces  as  "  The  Eaven," 
"  The  Bells,"  or  '*  Catiline's  Defiance " ;  but  it  is  a  mat- 
ter of  solid  importance  for  them  to  be  able  to  read 
intelligently  and  effectively  such  extracts  as  Macaulay's 
''  Puritans,"  Bryant's  "  Winds,"  Byron's  "  Apostrophe 
to  the  Ocean,"  one  of  Webster's  "Speeches,"  or  an  ex- 
tract from  Milton  or  Shakespeare.  The  trained  reader 
is  able  not  only  to  read  well,  but  also  to  give  good 
reasons  for  reading  with  good  taste,  discrimination,  and 
judgment. 

14  As  an  aid  both  to  teachers  and  pupils  in  apply- 
ing principles  and  rules,  a  considerable  number  of 
extracts  and  examples  are  marked  for  inflection,  em- 
phasis, and  pauses.  When  these  have  been  carefully 
studied  and  read,  pupils  ought  to  be  able  to  apply,  to 
some  extent  at  least,  principles  and  rules  to  unmarked 
extracts,  thus  becoming  independent  of  imitation  and 
of  teachers. 

II.    Distinctions  of  Inflection. 

1.  Inflection  may  be  defined  as  an  upward  or  down- 
ward slide  of  the  voice,  generally  on  the  emphatic  word 
or  words  of  a  sentence.  In  words  of  more  than  one 
syllable,  the  inflection  falls  chiefly  on  the  vowel  of  the 
accented  syllable ;  hence  the  mark  of  inflection  is  placed 
over  the  vowel  in  the  accented  syllable. 

2.  The  rising  inflection,  indicated  by  the  acute  accent 


78  .SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

('),  is  used   in   direct  questions,  and,  in  general,  when- 
ever tlie  sense  is  incomplete.  _: 

3.  The  falling  inflection,  indicated  by  the  grave  accent 
(^),  is  used  in  complete  declarative,  exclamatory,  or  very 
emphatic  statements,  and,  in  general,  wherever  the  sense 
is  complete,  or  does  not  depend  on  something  to  follow. 

4.  The  circumflex,  a  combination  of  the  rising  and 
falling  inflections  on  the  same  sound  or  w^ord,  indicated 
thus  (  ""  or  ^  ),  is  used  in  surprise,  sarcasm,  irony,  wit, 
"humor,  and  in  expressing  a  pun,  or  a  double  meaning. 
The  rising  circumflex  is  used  in  place  of  the  direct  ris- 
ing inflection  to  add  force  to  the  emphasis,  and  the 
falling  circumflex  in  place  of  the  direct  falling  inflec- 
tion. 

5.  The  monotone  (. ),  that  is, ..one  uniform  tone,  is 

merely  the  absence  of  any  marked  rising  or  falling  slide 
above  or  below  the  o-eneral  level  of  tlie  sentence. 


TIL    Length  of  Slides. 

-  .  1.  The  length  of  the  rising  or  the  falling  inflection, 
in  ascending  or  descending  the  scale,  depends  on  the 
dorce  of  emphasis  applied  to  words  marked  by  inflection. 

2.  The  degrees  of  inflection  may  be  roughly  distin- 
.guished  as  corresponding  to  the  second,  third,  fifth,  and 
eighth  notes  in  the  musical  scale,  including  the  semi- 
tones, or  chromatic  notes,  of  the  minor  second,  third, 
fifth,  and  eighth  notes. 

3.  The  "  second "  and  "  third "  are  classed  as  the  un- 
emotional slides,  as  contrasted  with  the  "  fifth "  and 
"eighth,"  which  are  the  emotional  inflections. 

IV.    The  Slide  OF  THE  Second. 

1.  The  inflection  of  the  second -is  a  very  slight  up- 
ward  or   downward  slide  of  the  voice,  expressing  what 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION,  79 

may  "be  termed  the  current  melody  of  the  sentence^  in 
quiet  conversation  and  in  unemotional  reading.  It  is 
the  distance  in  tone  between  C  and  D,  ov  Do  smd  lie 
on  the  scale  in  music. 

2.  "  The  simple  rise  and  fall  of  the  second,  and  per- 
haps its  wave,"  says  Dr.  Eush,  "  when  used  for  plain 
narration,  or  for  the  mere  statement  of  an  unexcited 
idea,  is  the  only  intonated  voice  of  man  that  does  not 
spring  from  a  passionate,  or,  in  some  degree,  an  earnest 
condition  of  liis  mind.  If  Ave  listen  to  his  ignorance, 
'doubt,  selfishness,  arrogance,  and  injustice,  we  hear  the 
vivid  forms  of  vocal  expression,  proceeding  from  these 
and  related  passions. 

3.  "Thus  we  have  the  rising  intervals  of  the  fifth  and 
octave,  for  interrogatives,  not  of  wisdom  but  of  envious 
curiosity;  the  downward  third,  fifth,. and  octave,  lor  dogr 
matic  or  tyrannical  command ;  waves  for  the  surprise 
of  ignorance,  the  snarling  of  ill-humor,  and  the  curling 
voice,  along  with  the  curling  lip  of  contempt;  the  pierc- 
ing height  of  pitch  for  the  scream  of  terror;  the  semi- 
tone, for  the  peevish  whine  of  discontent,  and  for  the 
puling  cant  of  the  hypocrite  and  the  knave,  who  cover 
beneath  the  voice  of  kindness,  the  designs  of  their  craft. 

4.  "  Then  listen  to  him  on  those  rare  occasions,  when 
he  forgets  himself  and  his  passions,  and  has  to  utter  a 
simple  idea,  or  plainly  to  narrate;  and  you  will  liear 
the  second,  the  least  obtrusive  interval  of  the  scale, 
in  the  admirable  harmony  of  Nature,  made  the  simple 
sign  of  the  unexcited  sentiment  of  her  •  wisdom  and 
truth." 

V.     Inflection  Drill  on  the  Second. 

1.  Count,  in  a  gentle  tone,  from  one  to  twenty,  with 
the  slight  rising  inflection,  thus — one,  two,  thr^e,  four,  etc. 

2.  Count  from  one  to  twenty  with  the  slight  falling 
inflection,  thus — one,  two,  etc. 


80  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

3.  Count  with  alternate  rising  and  falling,  thus — one, 
two,  thrde,  lour,  etc.,  to  thirty. 

4.  Sound  the  long  vocals,  a,  e,  i,  5,  u :  (1)  With  the 
rising  second.  (2)  With  the  falling  second.  (3)  Alter- 
nate risini:;  and  fallinoj. 

VI.     The  Slide  of  the  Third. 

1.  The  slide  of  the  third  corresponds  to  the  interval, 
on  the  scale,  between  C  and  JE,  or  Do  and  Mi. 

2.  When  the  voice  rises  on  a  word  through  an  inter- 
val of  two  tones,  or  a  major  third,  it  expresses  moderate 
emphasis,  interrogation,  contrast,  or  slight  surprise ;  when 
the  voice  falls  through  the  same  interval,  it  expresses 
moderate  emphasis,  assertion,  command,  contrast,  or  the 
conclusion  of  a  proposition. 

3.  The  inflection  of  the  third  is  the  prevailing  slide 
of  animated  and  earnest  conversation,  and  of  the  slightly 
emphatic  w^ords  of  narrative,  didactic,  or  descriptive  com- 
position.    It  is  the  slide  of  antithesis  in  contrasted  words. 

VII.     Unemotional  Slides. 

The  slides  of  the  second  and  third  are  the  senten- 
tial or  unemotional  inflections  as  contrasted  with  the 
fifth  and  the  eighth,  wducli  are  the  slides  of  emotion  and 
passion. 

VIII.     Inflection  Drill  on  the  Third. 

1.  Count,  with  moderate  force  and  emphasis,  i'roni  one 
to  twenty  with  the  rising  third,  thus :  one,  two,  thrde,  etc. 

2.  Count  from  one  to  twenty  with  the  falling  third, 
thus :  one,  two,  thrfee,  etc. 

3.  Count  with  alternate  rising  and  falling  tliird,  thus : 
one,  two,  thred,  four,  etc. 

•  4.   Will  you  gd  or  stay  ? 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  81 

IX.    The  Slides  of  the  Fifth  and  the  Eighth. 

1.  The  slide  of  the  fifth  corresponds  to  the  interval 
between  C  and  G,  or  Do  and  Sol,  and  the  slide  of  the 
eighth,  or  the  octave,  to  the  interval  between  C  and 
Cy  or  Do  and  Do. 

2.  When  the  voice  rises  through  the  interval  of  the  fifth, 
it  expresses  impassioned  interrogation,  extreme  surprise, 
or  strong  negation;  when  it  falls  through  the  same  in- 
terval, it  expresses  deep  conviction,  strong  determination, 
emphatic  declaration,  stern  command,  or  strong  emotion. 

3.  Under  the  influence  of  intense  excitement  or  pas- 
sion, the  voice  sometimes  rises  or  falls  through  the 
whole  octave.  The  rising  octave  expresses  amazement, 
astonishment,  excited  interrogation,  intense  irony,  and 
the  falling  octave  expresses  fierce  determination,  impas- 
sioned scorn,  imprecation,  and  defiance. 

4.  Tlius,  when  Douglas  cries  out  under  the  influence 
of  intense  anger — 

*'And  dar'st  thou  then 
To  beard  the  lion  in  his  deUy 
The  Douglas  in  his  hall  ? " 
The  voice  on  "  hall "  rises  through  the  whole  octave.     And 
when  Coriolanus  cries  out :    "  Measureless  liar,"  the  voice 
on  "measureless"  falls  through  the  octave. 

5.  The  words  "  ah !  indeed  I "  uttered  so  as  to  express 
the  greatest  possible  degree  of  astonishment,  illustrate 
the  rising  octave. 

X.    Inflection  Drill. 

1.  Sound  the  long  vocals,  a,  e,  I,  o,  u,  with  the  rising 
fifth;    the  falling  fifth. 

2.  Sound  the  long  vocals,  a,  e,  I,  5,  u,  with  the  rising 
eighth ;    with  the  falling  octave. 

3.  Count  from  one  to   twenty  with   the   rising  fifth;   * 
the  fallinc:  fiftli. 

6 


82  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

T.     THE   EISING   IXFLECTIOK 

1.  The  rising  inflection  calls  attention  to  what  is  to 
follow.  It  is  the  inflection  of  incomplete  statement ,  of 
appeal,  of  inqiciri/,  and  of  negative  antithesis. 

2.  It  is  the  prevailing  inflection  of  sentiment,  of  tender- 
ness, and  of  pathos. 

3.  It  is  the  characteristic  inflection  used  in  stating 
what  is  cowqmratively  unimportant,  trite,  qiiestioncMe, 
doubtful,  or  piarenthetical. 

EULES   FOR   THE   ElSING   INFLECTION. 

Bide  I.  Questions  requiring  YES  or  NO  for  an  ansiuer 
have  the  rising  inflection,  except  when  very  eiiiphatic. 

EXAMPLES. 

[Rising  Third. — Light  Emphasis.] 

1.  Have  you  recited  your  lessons? 

2.  Is  it,  0  man,  with  such  discordant  noises. 

With  such  accursed  instruments  as  these, 
Thou  drownest  Nature's  sweet  and  kindly  voices, 
And  jarrest  the  celestial  harmonies? 
3.    Breathes  there  the  man  with  soul  so  dead, 
AVho  never  to  himself  hath  said, 

This  is  my  dwn,  my  native  Idncl  ? 
Whose  heart  hath  ne'er  within  him  burned, 
As  hdme  his  footsteps  he  hath  turned, 
From  wandering  on  a  foreign  strand  ? 

[Fifth  and  Eighth. — Strong  Emphasis.] 

4.  Hates  any  man  the  thing  he  would  not  lall? 

5.  What!  wouldst  thou  have  a  serpent  sting  thee 
tivice  ? 

6.   And  dar'st  thou  then 

To  beard  the  Hon  in  his  dhi, 
The  Doudas  in  his  hall  ? 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  83 

7.    Art  thou  a  friend  to  Eoderick  ? — No. 
Thou  dar'st  not  call  thyself  his  foe  ? 

8.  Is  it  come  to  tlm?  Shall  an  inferior  magistrate, 
a  governor,  wlio  holds  his  whole  power  of  the  Roman 
people  J  in  a  Eoman  province,  within  sight  of  Italy, 
hind,  scourge,  torture,  and  put  to  an  infamous  death,  a 
Ilovian  citizen  1  Shall  neither  the  cries  of  innocence 
expiring  in  agony,  the  tears  of  pitying  spectators,  the 
majesty  of  the  Eoman  Commonwealth,  nor  fear  of  the 
justice  of  his  country,  restrain  the  merciless  monster, 
who,  in  the  confidence  of  his  riches,  strikes  at  the  very 
root  of  liberty,  and  sets  mankind  at  defiance  ?  And 
shall  this  man  escape  ?  Fathers,  it  must  not  he !  It 
must  not  he,  unless  you  would  undermine  the  very 
foundations  of  social  safety,  strangle  justice,  and  call 
down  dnarcliy,  mdssacre,  and  mm  on  the  Common- 
wealth !  Cicero. 

9.  Canst  thou  bind  the  llnicorii  with  his  band  in  the 
furrow  f  or  will  he  harrow  the  valleys  after  thee  ?  Wilt 
thou  trust  him  because  his  strength  is  great  ?  or  wilt 
thou  leave  thy  labor  to  him  ? 

Gavest  tliou  the  goodly  wings  unto  the  peacocks  ?  or 
wings  and  feathers  unto  the  ostrich^  Canst  thou  draw 
out  leviathan  with  a  hook .?  or  his  tdngue  witli  a  c6rd 
which  thou  lettest  down  ?  Canst  thou  put  a  hook  into 
his  ndse  ?  or  bore  his  jaw  through  witli  a  thdrn  ?  Wilt 
thou  play  with  him  as  with  a  bird  ?  or  wilt  thou  bind 
him  for  thy  7ndidens?  Canst  thou  fill  his  skin  with 
barbed  irons?  or  his  head  with  fish  spears?       Book  of  Job. 

Ride  11.  Words  repeated  in  surprise  take  the  rising 
inflection,  and  are  emphatic. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.   Must  I  endure  all  this?    All  th/ts?     Ay,  mdre. 


84  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

2.     Catiline's  eeply. 
^' Banished  from  Rome  ! ''     What's  banished  but  set  free 
rroni  daily  contact  with  the  things  I  loathe? 
"  Tried  and  convicted  traitor  !  "      Who  says  this  ?     cboly. 

3.      SQUEERS. 

*'Who  cried  stbpV  said  Squeers,  turning  savagely 
round. 

''  /\"  said  Mcholas,  stepping  forward.  "  This  must  not 
go  on.'' 

"Must  not  go  6n!"  cried  Squeers,  almost  in  a  shriek. 

"  No  ! "  thundered  Nicholas.  dickens. 

Call  on  the  class  to  find  Jive  additional  illustrations. 

Bule  III.  Words  and  phrases  of  address,  unless  very 
emphatic,  take  the  slight  rising  inflection. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  Sir,  I  believe  the  hour  has  come. 

2.  Mr.  President,  I  desire  to  offer  a  resolution. 

.    3.   Friends,  Komans,  countrymen,  lend  me  your  ears. 

4.  Fellow-citizens,  the  time  for  action  has  come. 

5.  Good  friends,  sweet  friends,  let  me  not  stir  you  up 
To  such  a  sudden  flood  of  mutiny. 

Call  on  each  pupil  to  find  one  additional  illustration. 
EXCEPTION. 

6.  0  comrades  !  warriors !  Thrdcians  !  if  we  mijist  fiaht, 
let  us  fight  for  ourselves. 

7.  Princes  !  potentates  !  warriors  ! 

Bule  IV.  The  language  of  entreaty,  coaxing,  or  flat- 
tery, takes  the  rising  inflection. 

EXAMPI.ES. 

1.      ARTHUR   IN  KING  JOHN. 

Alas,  what  need  you  be  so  boisterous-ro%A .? 
I  will  not  struggle;  I  will  stand  stdne-stlll. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  85 

For  heaven's  sake,  Hubert,  let  me  not  be  hoilnd ; 

Nay,  hear  me,  Hubert;   drive  but  these  men  aiody, 

And  I  will  sit  as  quiet  as  a  lamb; 

I  will  not  stir,  nor  wince,  nor  speak  a  word, 

Nor  look  upon  the  iron  dngerly : 

Thrust  but  these  men  away,  and  111  forgive  yon. 

Whatever   torment   you    do  J^ut    me    to.  Shakespeare. 

2.     MRS.  caudle's  curtain  lectures. 
I. 

Now,  Caudle,  dear,  do  let  us  talk  comfortably.  After 
all,  love,  there's  a  good  many  folks  who,  I  dare  say, 
don't  get  on  half  so  well  as  we've  done.  We've  both 
our  little  tampers,  perhaps;  but  you  are  aggravating; 
you  must  own  tlidt,  Caudle.  Wdll,  never  mind;  we  won't 
talk  of  it;   I  won't  scold  you  now. 

II. 

I'm  sure  I  don't  object  to  your  being  a  Mason;  not 
at  all.  Caudle.  I  dare  say  it 's  a  very  good  tlving ;  I  dare 
say  it  Is :  it 's  only  your  making  a  seci^et  of  it  that  vexes 
me.  But  you  11  tell  me — you  11  tell  your  own  Margaret  ? 
Yoio  wo7i't?    You're  a  luretch,  Mr.  Caudle.         harrold. 

Rule  V,  Negative  expressions,  whether  of  ivords,  phrases, 
clauses,  or  sentences,  take  the  rising  inflection  when  they 
carry  the  attention  forward  to  a  contrasted  affirmatio7i, 
or  hackvjard  to  an  affirmative  statement. 

EXAMPIiES. 

1.  I  come  not  here  to  talk. 

Ye  know  too  luell  the  story  of  our  thrdlldom. 

2.  The  battle,  sir,  is  not  to  the  strdng  alone. 
It  is  to  the  vigilant,  the  active,  the  hrd^ve. 

3.    Tell  me  not,  in  mournful  numbers, 
Life  is  but  an  empty  dream; 
For  the  soul  is  dead  that  slumbers, 
And  things  are  not  what  they  s^era. 


86  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

4.  I  come  not,  friends,  to  steal  away  your  hearts; 
t  am  no  oi'ator,  as  Brutus  is : 

But,  as  you  know  me  all,  a  plain,  blunt  man, 

5.  Cleon  hath  a  million  acres — ne'er  a  one  have  V : 
Cleon  clwelleth  in  a  ])alace — in  a  cottage,  Y ; 
Cleon  hath  a  dozen  fortunes — not  a  ^:>^n7i?/,  V ; 
But  the  poorer  of  the  twain  is  Cleon,  and  7iDt  Y. 

6.       FREEDOM. 

0  Freedom  !   thou  art  not,  as  poets  dream, 

A  fair  young  girl,  with  light  and  delicate  lirnbs, 

And  wavy  tresses  gushing  from  the  cap 

With  which  the  Eoman  master  crowned  his  sldve, 

When  he  took  off  the  gyves,     A  hearded  man, 

Armed  to  the  teeth,  art  thou.  bryant. 

7.       THE    OCEAN. 

The  armaments  |  which  thunderstrike  the  walls  | 
Of  rock-built  cities,  bidding  nations  quake. 
And  monarchs  |  tremble  in  their  capitals, 
The  oak  leviathans,  whose  huge  ribs  make 
Their  clay  creator  |  the  vain  title  [  take  | 
Of  lord  of  thee,  and  arbiter  of  w^ar; — 
These,  are  thy  toys,  and  as  the  snowy  fidke  \ 
They  melt  into  thy  yeast  of  waves,  which  mar  | 
Alike  1  the  Armada's  pride  |  or  spoils  of  Trafalgar. 

Byron. 
8.      LIBERTY. 

Tell  me  not  of  the  honor  of  belonging  to  a  free 
country,  I  ask,  does  our  liberty  bear  generous  fruits! 
Does  it  exalt  us  in  manly  spirit,  in  pid)lic  virtue,  above 
countries  trodden  under  foot  by  despotism  ? — Tell  me 
not  of  the  extent  of  our  country.  I  care  not  how  large 
it  is,  if  it  mtUtiply  degenerate  men.  Speak  not  of 
our  prosperity.  Better  be  one  of  a  poor  people,  plain 
in  manners,  reverencing  God,  and  respecting  tliemselves, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  87 

than   belong   to  a  rich  country,  which  knows  no  higher 
good  than  riches,  channing. 

9.      WHAT   CONSTITUTES   A    STATE  ? 

What  constitutes  a  State? 

Not  high-raised  battlement  or  labored  7116 itnd, 
Thick  lodll  or  moated  gate ; 

Not  eities  proud  with  spires  and  turrets  crowned. 
Not  hays  and  broad-armed  sports, 

Where,  laughing  at  the  storm,  rich  navies  ride : 
Not  starred  and  spangled  cdurts 

Where  low-bred  baseness  wafts  perfume  to  jjm?e; 
No;  men,  high-minded  me/i;  men,  who  their  duties  know; 

But  know  theiv  rights ;  and  knowing,  dare  maintain; 
Prevent  the  long-aimed  blow, 

And  crush  the  tyircnt  while  they  rend  the  chain. 
These  constitute  a  State.  jones. 

Call  on  i^upils  to  find  additional  examples. 

Bale  VI.  Incomplete  expressions,  luhether  of  phrases  or 
clauses,  luhen  they  carry  the  mind  forward  to  something  to 
he  stated,  require  the  rising  inflection. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  Born  to  inherit  the  most  illustrious  monarchy  in 
the  luorld,  and  early  united  to  the  object  of  her  choice, 
the  amiable  princess,  happy  in  hersdlf,  and  joyful  in 
her  future  p)r6spects,  little  anticipated  the  fate  that  was 
so  soon  to  overtake  her. 

2.       THE   PILGRIM   FATHERS. 

An:l  yet,  do  you  not  think,  that  who  so  cdald,  by 
adequate  description,  bring  before  you  that  lointer  of  the 
Pilgrims,  its  brief  siliishine,  the  nights  of  stdrm,  slow 
waning;  the  damp  and  icy  hreath,  felt  to  the  pillow  of 
the  dying ;  its  destMtions,  its  contrasts  with  all  their 
former  experience  in  life;  its  utter  insiddtion  and  Idneli- 
ness ;   its  dedth-heds  and  hurials ;    its  memories;   its  ap- 


88  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

prehensions ;  its  hdpes ;  the  consultations  of  tlie  prudent; 
the  prayers  of  the  pious;  the  occasional  cheerful  liymn^ 
in  which  tlie  strong  heart  threw  off  its  hurthen,  and, 
asserting  its  nnvanquishecl  ndt^ire,  luent  up,  like  a  bird 
of  dawn,  to  the  skies; — do  ye  not  think  that  whoso 
could  describe  them  calmly  waiting  in  that  defile,  lonelier 
and  darker  than  Thermopylce.,  for  a  morning  that  might 
never  dawn,  or  might  show  them,  when  it  did,  a  mightier 
arm  than  the  Persian,  raised  as  in  act  to  strike,  would 
he  not  sketch  a  scene  of  more  difficult  and  rarer  hero- 
ism ?  A  scdne,  as  Wordsworth  has  said,  "  melancholy, 
yea,  dismal,  yet  consolatory  and  full  of  jo/y;"  a  scene, 
even  better  fitted,  to  succor,  to  exalt,  to  lead,  the  for- 
lorn hopes  of  all  great  cchtses,  till  time  shall  be  no  more, 

Choate. 

3.      THE   STRIFE. 

Notice  that  the  last  four  stanzas  constitute  one  sentence. 

The  wish  that  of  the  living  whole 

Xo  life  may  fail  beyond  the  grave — 
Derives  it  not  from  what  we  have 

The  likest  Gckl  within  the  sdul? 

Are  God  and  ndture  then  at  strife, 

That  ndture  lends  such  evil  drdams  ? 
So  careful  of  the  type  she  seems, 

So  cdrcless  of  the  single  life, 

That  /,  considering  everywhere 

Her  secret  meaning  in  her  ddeds, 
And  finding  that  of  fifty  seeds 

She  often  brings  but  6ne  to  hear — 

I  falter  where  I  firmly  trdd ; 

And,  falling  with  my  weight  of  cares 
Upon  the  great  world's  dto?'-stairs, 

That  slope  through  darkness  up  to  God, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  89 

I  Stretch  lame  hands  oi  faith,  and  grope, 
And  gather  dust  and  chaff,  and  call 
To  what  I  feel  is  Lord  of  all, 

And  faintly  trust  the  larger  hope, 

Tennyson's  hi  Memoriam, 
4.       THE   LADDER   OF    ST.    AUGUSTINE. 

The  low  desire,  the  base  design, 
That  makes  another's  virtues  Idss ; 

The  revel  of  the  treacherous  wane, 
And  all  occasions  of  excess  ; 

The  longing  for  ignoble  things, 

The  strife  for  triumph  more  than  truth ; 

The  hardening  of  the  heart  that  brings 
Irreverence  for  the  dreams  of  yoiith ; 

All  thoughts  of  ill ;  all  evil  deeds 

That  have  their  root  in  thoughts  of  ill ; 

Whatever  hinders  or  impedes 
The  action  of  the  noble  wall, — 

All  these  must  first  be  trampled  down 
Beneath  our  feet,  if  w^e  would  gain 

In  the  bright  fields  of  fair  renown, 

The  right  of  eminent  domain.         Longfellow. 

Eule  VII.  Conditional  phrases  and  clauses,  vjhen  in- 
tvoductory,  take  the  rising  inflection,  hecause  the  sense  is 
carried  forward  to  the  princiiocd  stcdements  on  ivhich  they 
depend. 

EXAMPI.ES. 

1.       FROM    '*THE   ARMORY." 

Were  half  the  power  that  fills  the  world  with  terror ; 

Were  half  the  w^ealtli,  bestowed  on  camps  and  cdnrts, 
Given  to  redeem  the  human  mind  from  error, 

There  were  no  need  of  arsenals  or  forts.         Longfellow. 


90  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

2.      FROM    "JULIUS   CESAR." 

As  Caesar  loved  me,  I  iveep  for  him  ;  as  he  was  fdrtu- 
nate,  I  rejoice  at  it ;  as  he  was  valiant,  I  Itbnor  him  ;  but, 
as  he  was  cunMtious,  1  sleio  him.  There  is  tears  for  his 
love;  joy  for  his  fortune;  honor  for  his  valor;  and 
death  for  his  ambition. 

3.      WATER. 

Of  all  i}iorganic  substances,  acting  in  tlieir  own  proper 
ndture,  and  without  assistance  or  conibindtion,  icdter  is 
the  most  ivbnderftd.  If  we  think  of  it  as  the  source  of 
all  the  changefulness  and  beauty  which  we  have  seen 
in  clouds;  then  as  the  instrument  by  which  the  earth 
we  have  contemplated  was  modeled  into  symmetry,  and 
its  crags  chiseled  into  grace;  then,  as  in  the  form  of 
sn6w,  it  robes  the  mountains  it  has  made  with  that 
transcendent  light  which  we  could  not  have  conceived  if 
we  had  not  seen ;  then  as  it  exists  in  the  foam  of  the 
tdrrent^iii  the  iris  which  sjjdns  it,  in  the  morning  7nist 
which  rises  from  it,  in  the  deep  crystalline  pools  wdiich 
mirror  its  hanging  shore,  in  the  broad  Idke  and  glancing 
river  ;  finally,  in  that  which  is  to  all  human  minds  the 
best  emblem  of  unwearied,  unconquerable  power,  the  wild, 
various,  fantastic,  tameless  tmity  of  the  sea  ;  what  shall 
we  comjydre  to  this  mighty,  this  iiniversal  element,  for 
glory  and  for  heauty  ?  or  how  shall  we  follow  its  eternal 
chdngefiUness   of  feeling  ?     It   is   like    trying   to  paint  a 

soul,  Rlskin. 

4.  FROM  Webster's  speeches. 
I. 
If  disastrous  vjdr  sweep  our  commerce  from  the  ocean, 
andther  generation  may  renew  it ;  if  it  exhaust  our  treas- 
ury, future  industry  may  replenish  it;  if  it  desolate  and 
lay  w^aste  our  fields,  still,  under  a  new  cultivation,  they 
will  grow  green  again,  and  ripen  to  future  harvests. 

II. 
If  discord  and  disunion  shall  wound  it ;  if  party  strife 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  91 

and  blind  ambition  shall  hawk  at  and  tear  it;  if  folly 
and  madness,  if  uneasiness  under  salutary  restraint ,  shall 
succeed  to  separate  it  from  that  Union,  by  which  alone 
its  existence  is  made  silre,  it  will  stand,  in  the  dnd,  by 
the  side  of  that  cradle  in  which  its  infancy  was  rbcked ; 
it  will  stretch  forth  its  arm  with  whatever  of  vigor  it 
may  still  retain,  over  the  friends  who  gather  round  it ; 
and  it  will  fall,  if  fall  it  must,  amid  the  proudest  mbn- 
icinents  of  its  glory  and  on  the  very  spot  of  its  origin. 

Require  each  pupil,  at  the  next  lesson,  to  read  one  additional  illus- 
tration, selected  from  some  extract  in  this  book. 

Bale  VIIL  In  poetic  description,  vjhether  of  prose  or 
verse,  the  pfTcvailing  inflection  is  the  slight  rising  inflection 
of  the  "  third.'' 

EXAMPLES. 

1.      FROM   WIIITTIER's    "  RANGER." 

Nowhere  fairer,  swdeter,  rarer, 
Does  the  golden-locked  fruit-bearer, 

Through  his  painted  woodlands  stray, 
Than  where  hillside  oaks  and  beeches 
Overlook  the  long,  blue  reaches. 
Silver  coves  and  pebbled  beaches, 

And  green  isles  of  Casco  Bay : 

Nowhere  day,  for  delay, 
With  a  tenderer  look  beseeches, 

"  Let  me  with  my  charmed  earth  stay." 

2.      WATER. 

Gleaming  in  the  ddvv-drop,  singing  in  the  summer  rain, 
shining  in  the  ice-gem  till  the  trees  seem  turned  to 
living  jewels,  spreading  a  golden  vdil  over  the  setting 
sun,  or  a  white  gauze  around  the  nudnight  moon ;  sport- 
ing in  the  cataract,  sleeping  in  the  glacier,  dancing  in 
the  hail-shower,  folding  bright  snow-curtains  softly  above 
the   wintry  world,    and    w^eaving   the    many-colored    fris, 


92  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

that  seraph's  zone  of  tlie  sky,  whose  warp  is  the  rain 
of  ^arth,  whose  woof  is  the  sunbeam  of  hdaven,  all 
checkered  over  with  celestial  flowers  by  the  mystic  hand 
of  rarefaction — still  always  it  is  beautiful,  that  blessed 
cold  water  !  No  poison  bubbles  on  its  brink — its  foam 
brings  not  madness  and  murder — no  blood  stains  its  liquid 
glass — pale  widows  and  starving  orphans  weep  not  burn- 
ing tears  in  its  clear  depths — no  drunkard's  shrieking 
ghost  from  the  grave  curses  it.  in  words  of  despair ! 
Speak  but,  my  friends ;  would  you  exchange  it  for  the 
demon's  drink — alcohol  ? 

A  shout  like  the  roar  of  the  tempest  answ^ered  "No! 

^O'  •  "  Denton. 

3.      THE  VOICE   OF   SPRING. 

The  iisher  is  out  on  the  sunny  s^a ; 

And  the  reindeer  bounds  o'er  the  pasture  fr^e ; 

And  the  pine  has  a  fringe  of  softer  gr^en, 

And  the  moss  looks  bright,  where  my  foot  hath  been. 

From  the  streams  and  founts  I  have  loosed  the  chain. 

They  are  sweeping  on  to  the  silvery  main, 

They  are  flashing  down  from  the  mountain  brows, 

They  are  flinging  spray  o'er  the  forest  boughs, 

They  are  bursting  fresh  from  their  sparry  caves  ; 

And  the  earth  resounds  with  the  joy  of  weaves. 

Hemans. 

Hule  IX.    Pathos   and   tender  feeling  incline  the  voice 
to  the  slight  rising  inflection. 

EXAMPL.ES. 

1.      BABIE   BELL. 

And  what  did  dainty  Babie  BfeU  ? 
She  only  crossed  her  little  hands ! 
She  only  looked  more  meek  and  fair  ! 
We  parted  back  her  silken  hair ; 
We  laid  some  buds  upon  her  brow — 
Death's  bride  arrayed  in  flowers  !  aldrich. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  93 

2.      THE   HANGER. 

When  the  shadows  vail  the  meadows. 
And  the  sunset's  golden  ladders 

Sink  from  twilight's  walls  of  gray — 
From  the  window  of  my  dreaming, 
I  can  see  his  sickle  gleaming, 
Cheery-voiced  can  hear  him  teaming 

Down  the  locust-shaded  way  ; 

But  away,  swift  away, 
Fades  the  fond,  delusive  sedming, 

And  I  kneel  again  to  pray.  whittier. 

Rule  X,  In  a  scries  of  icords  or  'phrases,  if  the  'par- 
ticidars  emtmerated  are  unimportant,  or  if  they  are  to  he 
taken  as  constitiding  a  luhole,  each  ^;ar^tcz^/ar,  except  the 
last  in  a  closing  series,  takes  the  rising  inflection. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  The  sun,  the  planets,  their  satellites,  the  comets, 
and  the  meteors,  compose  the  solar  system. 

2.  The  solar  system  consists  of  the  siin,  the  planets, 
their  satellites,  the  comets,  and  the  meteors. 

3.  The  minerals  of  California  are  gold,  silver,  copper, 
iron,  tin,  and  quicksilver. 

4    Wheat,  fiour,  pork,  bdef,  cotton,  tobacco,  and  petro- 
leum are  exported  from  the  United  States. 
5.   The  Goth,  the  Christian,  Time,  War,  Flood,  and  Fire, 
Have  dealt  upon  the  seven-hilled  city's  pride. 

6.      CHRISTMAS   MARKETS. 

Heaped  upon  the  floor,  to  form  a  kind  of  throne, 
were  turkeys,  g^ese,  game,  brawn,  great  joints  of  mdat, 
sucking-pigs,  long  wreaths  of  sausages,  mince-pies,  plum- 
piiddings,  barrels  of  oysters,  red-hot  chestnuts,  cherry- 
cheeked  apples,  juicy  oranges,  luscious  p^ars,  immense 
twelfth-cakes,  and  great  bow4s  of  punch.  dickens. 


94  SCHOOL    ELOCUTIOJS". 

7.      BOARDING-SCHOOL   CURRICULUM. 

And  thus  their  studies  they  pursued  : — On  Sunday, 

B^ef,  collects,  batter,  tdxts  from  Dr.  Price; 
Mutton,  French,  pancakes,  grammar — of  a  Monday ; 

Tuesday — hard  diimplings,  globes,  Chapone's  Advice. 

Wednesday — fancy-work,  rice-milk  (no  spice)  ; 
Thursday — pork,  dancing,  currant-bolsters,  reading ; 

Friday,  bdef,  Mr.  Butler,  and  plain  rice ; 
Saturday — scraps,  short  lessons  and  short  feeding. 
Stocks,  back-boards,  hash,  steel-collars,  and  good  breeding. 

Hood. 

8.  FROM  Dickens's  *' Christmas  carol." 

It  was  a  game  called  Yes  and  No,  where  Scrooge's 
nephew  had  to  think  of  something,  and  the  rest  must 
find  out  what ;  he  only  answering  to  their  questions  yes 
or  no,  as  the  case  was.  The  fire  of  questioning  to 
which  he  was  exposed  elicited  from  him  that  he  was 
thinking  of  an  animal,  a  live  animal,  rather  a  disagree- 
able  animal,  a  savage  animal,  an  animal  that  growled  and 
grunted  sometimes,  and  talked  sometimes,  and  lived  in 
London,  and  walked  about  the  streets,  and  was  n't  made 
a  shoiv  of,  and  was  n't  led  by  anybody,  and  did  n't  live 
in  a  menagerie,  and  w^as  never  killed  in  a  mdrhet,  and 
was  not  a  horse,  or  an  ass,  or  a  cow,  or  a  hull,  or  a 
tiger,  or  a  dog,  or  a  jpig,  or  a  cat,  or  a  hear. 

9.  FROM  Dickens's  *' Christmas  carol." 
Sitting-roorn,  bedroom,  lumber-room,  all  as  they  slioixld 

be.  N"obody  under  the  table;  nobody  under  the  sofa; 
a  small  fire  in  the  grate  ;  spoon  and  basin  ready  ;  and 
tlie  little  saucepan  of  gruel  (Scrooge  had  a  cold  in  his 
head)  upon  the  hob.  Nobody  under  the  b^d  ;  nobody 
in  the  closet;  nobody  in  his  dressing-gown,  which  was 
hanging  up  in  a  suspicious  attitude  against  the  wall. 
Lumber-room  as  usual.  Old  fire-guard,  old  shoes,  two 
fish-baskets,  washing-stand   on   three   legs,  and  a  poker. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  95 

II.     THE  FALLING  INFLECTIOK 

1.  The  falling  infiection  is  the  slide  of  the  co'in]plete 
statement. 

2.  It  is  the  cliaracteristie  inflection  of  assertion,  of 
eonficlence,  of  eommancl,  of  emotion,  and  of  2^cission. 

3.  It  denotes  tvhat  is  imijortant,  interesting,  or  decisive. 
It  is  the  ^prevailing  iiiftectioii  of  impressive  oratory, 

EULES   FOP.   THE   FALLING   INFLECTION. 

Rule  I  The  close  of  a  declarative,  imperative,  or  ex- 
clamatory sentence  is  generally  marked  hy  the  falling 
inflection. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  The  liberty  of  the  press  is  the  highest  safeguard 
to  all  free  government.  It  is  like  a  great,  exulting,  and 
abounding  river. 

2.     Maud  Muller,  on  a  summer's  day, 
Eaked  the  meadow  sweet  with  hay. 

3.    Ye  crags  and  p^aks,  I'm  v'ith  you  once  again! 
I  hold  to  you  the  hands  you  first  beheld, 
To  show  they  still  are  free.     Methinks  I  hear 
A  spirit  in  your  echoes  dnstver  me, 
And  bid  your  tenant  welcome  to  his  home 
Again  !     0  sacred  forms,  how  ^^^'oud  ye  look ! 
How  high  you  lift  your  heads  into  the  sky ! 
How  hitge  you  are !   how  mighty  and  how  free  ! 

Bide  II  The  answer  to  a  direct  question  generally 
takes  the  falling  inflection. 

EXAMPLES. 

] .    Are  you  going  to  school  ?     Yes,  I  am. 

2.    Shall  traitors  lay  that  greatness  low? 
No  !   land  of  hope  and  blessing,  no. 


96  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

EXCEPTIONS. 

Answers  given  in  a  careless  or  an  indifferent  manner 
sometimes  take  the  rising  inflection,  as, 

1.  What  do  you  wiiDt?     jS'otliiiig. 

2.  Which  will  you  have  ?     I  do  n't  care. 

3.  What  did  you  say?     N'ot  much. 

4.  May  I  stay  here  ?     Yds,  you  may  if  you  like. 

5.  Out  spoke  the  ancient  fisherman :  ''  0  what  was  that, 
my  daughter?" 

"'Twas  nothing  but  a  pebble,  sir,  I  threw  upon  the 
water." 

"And  what  is  that,  pray  tell  me,  love,  that  paddles 
off  so  fast  ? " 

"  It 's  nothing  but  a  porpoise,  sir,  that 's  been  a  swim- 
ming past." 

Bide  III.  Impassioned  exclamation  or  very  emphatic 
assertion  is  characterized  hy  the  falling  inflection — usually 
the  fifth  or  eighth, 

EXAMPLES. 

[Falling  Fifth.'] 

1.  Else,  fellow-men,  our  country  yet  remains. 

2.  Cifearness,  force,  and  Earnestness  are  the  qualities 
which  produce  conviction. 

3.  Eloquence  is  action,  nolle,  siihllme,  godlike  action. 

4.    Strike — till  the  last  armed  foe  expires; 
Strike — for  your  altars  and  your  fires ; 
Strike — for  the  green  graves  of  your  sires, 
God — and  your  native  land  ! 

[Falling  Eighth, — Emotional.'] 

5.  0  horrible  !   0  horrible  !   most  horrible  ! 

6.  0  my  prophetic  soul  !   my  iXncle ! 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  97 

7.  We  heard  the  piercing  shriek  of  murder  !  murder  ! 
miarder  ! 

8.  I  have  done  my  duty : — I  stand  acquitted  to  my 
cojiscienco  and  my  cbitntry : — I  have  opposed  this  measure 
throughbitt ;  and  I  now  protest  against  it  as  harsh,  op- 
pressive,  uncalled  for,  unjust, — as  establishing  an  infamous 
precedent  by  retaliating  crime  against  crime, — as  tyran- 
nous— criidly  and  vindictively  tyrannous.  o'Connell. 

9.   The  mustering  place  is  Lanrick  mead, 
Speed  forth  the  signal,  Xorman,   sioeed ; 
Her  summons  dread  brooks  no  delay, 
Stretch  to  the  race — away,  away  ! 

10.  Thy  threats,  thy  mercy,  I  defy. 
Let  recreant  yield  wlio  fears  to  die. 

11.  "Can  naught  but  Udod  our  feud  atdne  ? 
Are  there  no  means?"     iVo,  stranger,  7ib7ie. 

Hide  IV .  Indirect  questions  and  very  emphatic  direct 
questions  generally  take  the  falling  inflection. 

Interrogative  sentences  beginning  with  who,  which, 
lohen,  ivhere,  lohy,  and  hoio,  generally  take  the  falling 
inflection.  A  direct  question  if  repeated  a  second  or 
third  time,  frequently  takes  the  falling  inflection  for 
emphasis. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  What  constitutes  a  State  ? 

2.  What  is  it  that  gentlemen  2vlsh? 

3.  When  was  he  graduated  ? 

4.  Why  do  you  not  study  your  llsson  ? 

5.  "Speak  louder;  I  did  not  hear  your  question." 
"Are  you  going  to  BbstonT* 

6.  0  why  should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud  ? 


98  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

7.  "Do  you  bear  tlie  rain,  Mr.  Caudle  ?  I  say,  do  you 
hear  the  rain '^  Do  you  hear  it  against  the  wmdows? 
Do  you  hear  it,  I  say?     Oh!   you  do  hear  it!" 


Bide  V.  Comjjleteness  of  thought  or  expression,  whether 
in  the  clauses  of  a  complex  sentence,  or  in  the  propositions 
of  a  compound  sentence,  generally  o^equires  the  falling  in- 
fiection. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.       DEAD    HEROES. 

They  fell  |  devdted,  but  undying ; 
The  very  gale  \  their  names  seemed  sighing  ; 
The  lodters  \  murmured  of  their  oiame ; 
The  woods  \  were  peopled  with  their /d?7?c; 
The  silent  Jp^7/6)^7',  lone  and  gray, 
Claimed  kindred  \  witb  their  sacred  clay: 
Their  spirits  \  wrapped  the  dusky  mountain, 
Their  memory  \  sparkled  o'er  the  fountain; 
The  meanest  rill,  the  miglitiest  river, 
Eolled  mingling  |  with  tlieir  fame  forever. 


2.      FROM   goldsmith's    "DESERTED   VILLAGE." 

Imagination  fondly  stoops  to  trace 

The  parlor  splendor  of  that  festive  place : 

The  whitewashed  ivall,  the  nicely  sanded  floor. 

The  varnished  elbck  that  clicked  behind  the  door 

The  chest,  contrived  a  double  debt  to  pay, 

A  bed  by  night,  a  chest  of  drawers  by  day; 

The  pictures  placed  for  ornament  and  use, 

The  twelve  good  riXles,  the  royal  game  of  goose ; 

The  hearth,  except  when  winter  chilled  the  day. 

With  aspen  loughs  and  flowers  and  fennel  gay  ; 

While  broken  teacups,  wisely  kept  for  show, 

Eanged  o'er  the  chimney,  glistened  in  a  row. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  99 

3.     bacon's  philosophy. 

It  has  lengthened  life ;  it  has  mitigated  pain  ;  it  has 
extinguished  diseases ;  it  has  increased  the  fertility  of 
the  soil ;  it  has  given  new  securities  to  the  mariner ;  it 
has  furnished  new  arms  to  the  vmrrior  ;  it  has  spanned 
great  rivers  and  estuaries  with  hrlclges  of  form  unknown 
to  our  fathers ;  it  lias  guided  the  thundcrholt  innocuously 
from  heaven  to  earth ;  it  has  lighted  up  the  night  with 
the  splendor  of  the  day ;  it  has  extended  the  range  of 
the  human  vision ;  it  has  multiplied  the  power  of  the 
human  muscles ;  it  has  accelerated  motion ;  it  has  anni- 
hilated distance  ;  it  has  facilitated  Intercourse,  correspond- 
ence, all  friendly  offices,  all  despatch  of  business;  it  has 
enabled  men  to  descend  to  the  depths  of  the  sea,  to 
soar  into  the  air ;  to  penetrate  securely  into  the  noxious 
recesses  of  the  earth,  to  traverse  the  land  in  cars  which 
whirl  along  without  horses,  and  the  ocean  in  ships  which 
run  ten  knots  an  hour  against  the  wind.  macaulay. 

4.      FREEDOM. 

I  love  Freedom  better  than  Slavery,  I  will  speak  her 
loords  ;  I  will  listen  to  her  music  ;  I  will  acknowledge  her 
Impulses ;  I  will  stand  beneath  her  flag ;  I  will  fight 
in  her  ranks ;  and,  when  I  do  so,  I  shall  find  myself 
surrounded  by  the  great,  the  ivlse,  the  good,  the  hrave, 
the  noble  of  every  land.  baker. 

5.       CHOATE's   EULOGY   OX   WEBSTEPt. 

We  seem  to  see  his  form  and  hear  his  deep,  grave 
speech  everyivherc.  By  some  felicity  of  his  p)erso7ial  life  ; 
by  some  wise,  deep,  or  heautifid  ivbrd  spoken  or  written ; 
by  some  service  of  his  own,  or  some  commemoration  of 
the  services  of  6thers,  it  has  come  to  pass  that  *'  our 
granite  hills,  our  inland  sias,  j^rdm^s,  and  fresh,  un- 
bounded, magnificent  wilderness ;  "  our  encircling  ocean ; 
the  resting-place  of  the  Pilgrims  ;  our  new-born  sister  of 


100  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

the  Pacific ;  our  ^popular  asshnUies ;  our  free  schools; 
all  our  cherished  doctrines  of  education,  and  of  the 
influence  of  religion,  and  national  policy  and  laio,  and 
the  Constitution,  give  us  back  Ms  name.  What  American 
landscape  will  you  look  on  ;  what  subject  of  American 
interest  will  you  study;  what  source  of  hope  or  of 
anxiety,  as  an  American,  will  you  acknowledge,  that  it 
does  not  recall  him  ? 

Rule  VI.  In  commencing  a  series  of  emphatic  particu- 
lars, each  particidar  exceiot  the  last  takes  the  slight  falling 
infection  of  the  ''  thirdl'  and  in  a  concluding  series,  each 
particular  except  the  last  hut  one  takes  the  falling  inflec- 
tion. 

EXAMPI.ES. 

1.  The  air,  the  earth,  the  water  teem  with  delighted 
existence. 

2.  Yalor,  humanity,  courtesy,  justice,  and  honor,  were 
the  characteristics   of  chivalry. 

3.  The  ministers  of  religion,  the  priests  of  literature, 
the  historians  of  tlie  past,  the  illustrators  of  the  p)resent, 
capital,  science,  art,  invention,  discoveries,  the  works  of 
genius — all  these  will  attend  us  in  our  march,  and  we 
shall  conquer.  baker. 

4.  The  characteristics  of  chivalry  w^ere  valor,  humanity, 
courtesy,  justice,  and  honor. 

6.      A  TROPICAL  SCENE. 

The  mountain  wooded  to  the  peak,  the  laivns 
And  winding  glcides  high  up  like  ways  to  heaven, 
The  slender  coco's  drooping  crown  of  plumes. 
The  lightning  flash  of  insect  and  of  hlrd, 
The  luster  of  the  long  convolvuluses 
That  coiled  around  the  stately  stems,  and  ran 
Even  to  the  limit  of  the  land,  the  glows 
And  glories  of  the  broad  belt  of  the  wbrld, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  .  101 

All  these  he  saw ;   but  what  he  fain  had  seen 

He  could  not  see,  the  kindly  human  fuxr,    . 

Nor  ever  hear  a  kindly  voice,  but  heard 

The  myriad  shriek  of  wheeling  bccan-^owl, 

The  league-long  roller  thundering  on  the  reefy 

The  moving  whisper  of  Imge  trees  that  branched 

And  blossomed  in  the  zenith^  or  the  sweep 

Of  some  precipitous  rivulet  to  the  wave, 

As  down  the  shore  he  ranged,  or  all  day  long 

Sat  often  in  the  seaward-gazing  (jorge, 

A  shipwrecked  sailor,  waiting  for  a  sail; 

Ko  sail  from  day  to  day,  but  every  ddy 

The  sunrise  broken  into  scarlet  shafts 

Among  the  palms  and  ferns  and  precipices ; 

The  blaze  upon  the  w^aters  to  the  east ; 

The  blaze  upon  his  Island  overhead ; 

The  blaze  upon  the  waters  to  the  west ; 

Then  the  great  stars  that  globed  themselves  in  hfeaven, 

The  hollower-bellowing  ocean,  and  again 

The  scarlet  shafts  of  sunrise, — 'but  no  sail. 

Tennyson's  Enoch  Arden. 
ILLUSTRATIOX. 

The  contrast  in  the  rendering  of  a  series  with  the 
rising  inflection  and  the  unemphatic  tone  of  indiffer- 
ence, or  with  the  falling  inflection  and  the  emphasis  of 
feeling,  is  illustrated  by  the  following  : 

The  one  with  yawning  made  reply  : 
"  What  have  we  seen  ?     ]N'ot  much  have  I ! 
Tr^es,  meadows,  mountains,  groves,  and  streams, 
Blue  sky,  and  clouds,  and  sunny  gleams." 

The  other,  smiling,  said  the  same ; 
But,  with  face  transfigured  and  eye  of  flame  : 
"  Trees,  meadows,  moiintains,  groves^  and  streams, 
Blue  sky  and  cloitds  and  sunny  gUams  I " 


102  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

EuU  VII.  The  cadence,  or  falling  inficction  at  the 
end  of  d'  ',sfMUnce,   must  not  he  made  too  abruptly. 

The  closing  descent  in  tone  at  the  end  of  a  sentence 
falls  lower  than  the  falling  inflection  at  the  end  of  the 
propositions  that  make  np  a  compound  sentence,  and 
lower  than  the  slide  on  empliatic  words  or  clauses. 
The  longer  the  sentence,  the  more  marked  is  the  cadence. 
The  common  errors  in  cadence  are :  (1)  Dropping  the 
tone  suddenly  on  the  last  word  of  the  sentence.  (2) 
Falling  too  soon  in  the  sentence.  (3)  A  gradual  dimin- 
ishino'  in  force  towards  the  end  of  a  sentence,  so  that 
the  last  few  words  are  feebly  uttered.  (4)  A  monoto- 
nous sameness  of  inflection. 

The  difference  between  the  partial  falling  inflection  in 
the  body  of  a  sentence  and  the  cadence  at  the  close, 
must  be  illustrated  by  the  living  voice  of  the  teacher. 
Take  the  following  sentence  from  Addison  for  illus- 
tration : 

''  Our  sight  is  the  most  perfect  and  most  delightful 
of  all  our  senses.  It  fdls  the  mind  with  the  largest 
variety  of  ideas,  converses  with  its  objects  at  the  great- 
est distance,  and  continues  the  longest  in  action  without 
being  tired  or  satiated  with  its  proper  enjoyments" 

Here  the  slide  on  "ideas  "  and  "  distance  "  is  the  partial 
falling,  say  the  falling  third,  while  the  cadence  on  "  enjoy- 
ment" runs  to  the  falling  fifth.  It  will  be  noticed,  also, 
that  the  voice  slides  upward  on  "  action,"  to  prepare  for 
the  cadence  at  the  close  of  the  sentence. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  I  have  done  my  duty ;  I  stand  acquitted  to  my 
conscience  and  my  country;  I  have  opposed  this  meas- 
ure throughout ;  and  I  now  protest  against  it,  as  harsh, 
opprhsive,  uncdblled  for,  unjust;  as  establishing  an  infa- 
mous precedent,  by  retaliating  crime  against  crime;  as 
tyrannous — cruelly  and  vindictively  tyrannous. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  103 

2.    Ill  fares  the  land,  to  hastening  ills  a  prey, 
Where  wealth  accumulates  and  men  decay: 
Princes  and  lords  may  flourish,  or  may  fade  — 
A  breath  can  make  them,  as  a  breath  lict^  made ; 
But  a  bold  peasantry,  their  country's  pride. 
When  once  destroyed,  can  never  be  supplied. 

3.    God  of  the  earth's  extended  plains ! 

The  dark  green  fields  contented  lie :    • 
The  mountains  rise  like  holy  towers. 

Where  man  might  commune  with  the  sky; 
The  tall  cliff  challenges  the  storm 

That  lowers  upon  the  vale  below. 
Where  shaded  fountains  send  their  sti'^ams, 

With  joyous  music  in  their  flow. 

EuLEs  FOR  Contrasted   Inflections. 

Rule  I.  When  negation  is  opposed  to  affirmation,  nega- 
tion has  the  rising,  and  affirmation .  the  falling  injlection. 
Contrasted  words  are  emj^^hatic. 

EXAMPI.ES. 

1.  He  did  not  call  you,  but  77ie. 

2.  He  called  yoic,  not  me. 

3.  He  called  neither  yoic  nor  me. 

4.  Man  never  is,  but  always  to  he  blest. 

5.      JOHN   HOWARD. 

He  visited  all  Europ)e — not  to  survey  the  sumptuous- 
ness  of  palaces,  or  the  stateliness  of  teinples ;  not  to 
make  accurate  measurements  of  the  remains  of  ancient 
grandeur,  nor  to  form  a  scale  of  the  curiosities  of  modern 
art,  nor  to  collect  medals,  or  collate  mdmtscripts ;  but 
to  dive  into  the  depths  of  dungeons,  to  plunge  into  the 
infection  of  hbspitals,  to  survey  the  mansions  of  sorrov: 
and  p)ain ;  to  take  the  gauge  and  dimensions  of  misery, 
depression,  and  contempt;  to  remember  the  forghtten^  to 


104  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

attend  to  the  neglected,  to  visit  the  forsaken,  and  com- 
pare and  collate  the  distresses  of  all  men  in  all  countries. 
His  plan  is  original ;  it  is  as  full  o^  geniiis  as  of  Iminhnity. 
It  was  a  voyage  of  discovery — a  circumnavigation  of 
c^^^rity,  .  ^^^^^^ 

Ride  II.  When  the  conjunction  OR  connects  contrasted 
ivords  or  jphrases,  it  is  i^rec.eded  hy  the  rising,  and  fol- 
lowed hy  the  falling  infiection.  Contrasted  words  are 
emphatic. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  Did  he  call  Jane  or  Mhry  f 

2.  Is  this  book  yours  or  mine  ? 

3.  Sink  or  sivhn,  live  or  die,  survive  or  i^erish,  I  give 
my  hand  and  my  heart  to  this  vote. 

4.  Do  we  mean  to  carry  on  or  to  give  lip  the  war  ? 

Require  an  additional  example  from  each  pupil. 

Bale  III.  Contrast  or  antithesis  is  denoted  hy  opposite 
inflections  on  the  contrasted  words  of  a  sentence,  and  the 
contrasted  words  are  emphatic. 

Pupils  should  be  cautioned  against  the  common  fault 
of  substituting,  in  examples  of  contrast,  the  circumflex 
inflections  for  the  direct  rising  and  falling  inflections. 
The  following  example  is  often  incorrectly  read  thus  : 

1.  In  the  one  we  most  admire  the  man;  in  the  other, 
the  work. 

It  should  be  read  as  follows : 

2.  In  the  6ne  we  most  admire  the  mdn ;  in  the  other, 
the  whrk. 

3.  Incorrect:    As  is  the  heginning,  so  is  the  end. 

4.  Correct:   As  is  the  beginning,  so  is  the  end. 

T).    Incorrect :   What  we  gain  in  p)o%ijer  is  lost  in  time. 
6..  Correct:    What  we  gain  in  pdi^r?^  is  lost  in  time. 


m-^ 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  105 

The  circuinfiex  inflections  are  properly  applied  in 
cases  of  very  emphatic  contrast,  or  in  the  expression  of 
irony,  sarcasm,  wit,  and  Immor. 

Selection  3,  at  the  end  of  this  chapter,  affords  good 
illustrations  of  contrasted  circumflex,  while  selections  1, 
2,  and  5  are  examples  of  the  use  of  the  direct  rising 
and  falling  inflections. 

"  A  fault  of  local  usage,  prevailing  throughout  New 
England,"  says  Prof  Eussell,  ''is  that  of  giving  all  em- 
phasis with  the  tone  of  the  circumflex.  It  is  a  tone 
incompatible  with  simplicity  and  dignity  of  expression, 
and  belongs  properly  to  irony  or  ridicule,  to  the  peculiar 
significance  of  words  and  phrases  embodying  logical  or 
grammatical  niceties  of  distinction,  or  to  the  studied  and 
peculiar  emphasis  which  belongs  to  the  utterance  of  a 
word  intended  to  convey  a  pun.  This  fault  would  be 
avoided  by  giving  emphasis  with  the  direct  inflection, 
instead  of  the  circumflex." 

EXAMPI.ES    OF    CONTRAST, 

1.  I  said  good,  not  had ;  vutuous,  not  vicious  ;  educated, 
not  illiterate. 

2.  He  spoke  for  education,  not  against  it. 

3.    After  the  shower,  the  tranquil  sUn ; 
Silver  stars  when  the  day  is  done. 
After  the  snow,  the  emerald  leaves; 
After  the  harvest,  golden  sheaves; 
After  the  clouds,  the  violet  shy ; 
Quiet  ivdods  when  the  winds  go  by. 
After  the  tempest,  the  lull  of  ivdives ; 
After  the  battle,  peaceful  grhves. 
After  the  hnell,  the  wedding-hell^ ; 
Joyful  greetings  from  sad  farewells. 
After  the  hud,  the  radiant  rose; 
After  our  iceeinng,  sweet  repdse. 


106  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

After  the  burden,  the  blissful  m.eed ; 
After  the  furroiv,  the  waking  seed. 

After  the  flight,  the  downy  nest ; 
Beyond  the  shadowy  river — rest. 

4.  Thus  the  Puritan  was  made  up  of  twb  different 
men :  the  6ne,  all  self-abasement,  penitence,  gratitude,  ^pds- 
sion;  the  other,  proud,  calm,  inflexible,  sagacious.  He 
prostrated  himself  in  the  dust  before  his  Maker;  but 
he  set  liis  foot  on  the  neck  of  his  king. 

5.       TtOME   AND   CAIITHAGE. 

The  catastrophe  of  this  stupendous  drama  is  at  hand. 
What  ixctors  are  mfet !  Tivo  races — that  of  merchants 
and  mdrincrs,  that  of  Idhorers  and  soldiers;  tiu6  nations 
— the  one  dominant  by  gold,  the  other  by  steel;  two 
rcpijMics — the  one  theocratic,  the  other  aristocratic.  Borne 
and  Carthage!  Rome  y^\i\\  her  army,  Carthage  with  her 
fleet ;  Carthage,  old,  rich,  and  crafty — Rdme,  yoiing,  poor, 
and  rohUst ;  the  past,  and  the  fixture;  the  spirit  of  dis- 
covery, and  tlie  spirit  of  conquest ;  the  genius  of  commerce, 
the  demon  of  luar ;  the  East  and  the  South  on  6ne  side, 
the  West  and  the  North  on  the  other;  in  short,  tivo 
ivorlds — the  civilization  of  Africa,  and  the  civilization  of 

FUrope.  victor  Hugo. 

6.  I  have  always  preferred  cheerfulness  to  mirth.  The 
latter  I  consider  as  an  act,  the  former  as  a  habit  of  the 
mind.  Mirth  is  sho^^t  and  transient,  cheerfulness  fixed 
and  permanent.  Mirth  is  like  a  flash  of  lightning,  that 
breaks  through  a  gloom  of  clouds,  and  glitters  for  a 
moment ;  chlerfidness  keeps  up  a  kind  of  daylight  in  the 
mind,  and   fills   it  with  a  steady  and  perpetual  serlnity. 

7.      THE   OXE-HOSS   SHAY. 

For  the  ivheels  were  just  as  strong  as  the  tludls, 
And  the  floor  was  just  as  strong  as  the  slllSy 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  107 

And  the  panels  just  as  strong  as  the  Jldo7\ 

And  the  wJiipple-tree  neither  less  nor  more, 

And  the  hack  crossbar  as  strong  as  the  /o?'e, 

And  spring,  and  axle,  and  hub  encore, 

And  yet,  as  a  whole,  it  is  past  a  doubt 

In  another  hour  it  will  be  worn  out !  holmes. 

8.       DUST   TO   DUST. 

^* Earth  to  earth,  and  cMst  to  dust!'' 

llere  the  evil  and  the  just, 

Here  the  youthful  and  the  old, 

Here  the  fearful  and  the  hold, 

Here  the  matron  and  the  maid, 

In  one  silent  bed  are  laid  ; 

Here  the  vassal  and  the  king 

Side  by  side  lie  withering ; 

Here  the  sivord  and  scepter  rust — 

"  Earth  to  earth,  and  dust  to  dust !  "     croly. 

9.       HUDIBRAS. 

He  was  in  logic  a  great  critic, 

Profoundly  skilled  in  analytic, 

He  could  distinguish  and  divide 

A  hair  'twixt  south  and  sduth-iuest  side ; 

On  either  which  he  would  dispute. 

Confute,  change  hands  and  still  confute. 

He  'd  undertake  to  prove  by  force 

Of  argument  a  man's  no  horse; 

He  'd  prove  a  hiizzard  is  no  fowl. 

And  that  a  lord  may  be  an  dwl ; 

A  calf  an  alderman,  a  goose  a  jiXstice, 

And  rooks  co7nmtttee-men  and  trilstees. 

He'd  run  in  debt  by  disputation, 

And  pay  with  ratiocination,  butler. 

10.       TACT   AND   TALENT. 

Take  them  into  the  church.     Talent  has  always  some- 
thing worth  hearing,  tact  is  sure  of  abundance  of  hearers ; 


108  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

talent  may  obtain  a  living,  tact  will  mdke  one;  talent 
gets  a  good  name,  tact  a  great  one ;  talent  convinces,  tact 
converts ;  talent  is  an  honor  to  the  profession,  tact  gdins 
honor  from  the  profession.  Take  them  to  court.  Talent 
feels  its  icHght,  tact  finds  its  wdy ;  talent  commands, 
tact  is  obeyed;  talent  is  honored  with  approbation,  and 
tact  is  blessed  by  preferment. 


Bide  IV,     Direct  questions  generally  require  the  rising 
inflection,  and  their  answers,  the  falling  inflection. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  Have  you  studied  your  lesson  ?     Yfes. 

2.  Are  you  going  to  New  York  ?     No. 

3.       OUR   COUNTRY. 

Oh,  country,  marvel  of  the  ^arth  ! 

Oh,  realm  to  sudden  greatness  grown! 
The  age  that  gloried  in  thy  birth. 

Shall  it  behold  thee  overthroiun  ? 
Shall  traitors  lay  that  greatness  low  ? 
iVo/   Land  of  Hope  and  Blessing,  No! 

Bryant. 
4.      THE   INQUIRY. 

Tell  me,  my  secret  soul, 

Oh,  tell  me,  Hope  and  Faith, 
Is  there  no  resting-place 

From  sorrow,  sin,  and  d^atli? 
Is  there  no  bappy  spot 

Where  mortals  may  be  bldssed, 
Where  grief  may  find  a  balm, 

And  weariness  a  rdst  ? 
Faith,  Hope,  and  Love — best  boons  to  mortals  given — 
Waved  their  bright  wings,  and  whispered  ''  Yes,  in  heaven  I " 

Mackay. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  109 

5.      FROM    "hamlet." 

Hamlet.     Hold  you  the  watch  to-night? 

Mar,  and  Ber.     We  do,  my  lord. 

Hamlet,     Armed,  say  you  ? 

Mar,  and  Ber.     Armed,  my  lord. 

Hamlet.     From  top  to  /(5c  .^ 

Mar.  and  ^'(?r.     My  lord,  from  head  to  /oo/. 

Hamlet.     Then  you  saw  not  his  face  ^ 

Hor.     Oh,  yds,  my  lord ;   he  wore  his  beaver  up. 

Hamlet.     What,  looked  he  froicningly  ? 

Hor.     A  countenance  more  in  sorroiu  than  in  anger. 

Hamlet.     Pale  or  red? 

Hor.     ^ay,  very  fale. 

Hamlet.     And  fixed  his  eyes  upon  you  ? 

i7b?\     Most  constantly. 

Hamlet.     I  would  /  had  been  tlidre. 

Hor.      It   would   have    much    amazed   you.        Shakespeare. 


III.     INFLECTIONS   OF  THE   PAEENTHESIS. 

Rule  I.  The  words  included  in  a  'parenthesis,  or  he- 
tween  ttvo  dashes  used  as  a  parenthesis,  and  any  phrase 
corresponding  in  effect  to  a  ptarenthesis,  are  read  with  the 
same  inflection  as  the  clause  immediately  preceding  them. 

"A  lower  and  less  forcible  tone,  and  a  more  rapid 
utterance,  than  in  the  other  parts  of  a  sentence,  together 
with  a  degree  of  monotony,  are  required  in  the  reading 
of  a  parenthesis.  The  form  of  parenthesis  implies  some- 
thing thrown  in  as  an  interruption  of  the  main  thought 
in  a  sentence.  Hence  its  suppressed  and  hurried  tone; 
the  voice  seeming  to  hasten  over  it  slightly,  as  if  impa- 
tient to  resume  the  principal  object.  The  same  remark 
applies,  with  more  or  less  force,  to  all  intervening 
phrases,   whether   in   the   exact  form   of    parenthesis   or 

not.  Russell. 


110  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  Uprightness  is  a  habit,  and,  like  all  other  habits, 
gains  strength  by  time  and  exercise.  If  then  we  Exer- 
cise upright  principles  (and  we  cannot  have  them,  unless 
we  exercise  thdm),  they  must  be  perpetually  on  the 
increase. 

2.  ''And  this,"  said  M — putting  the  remains  of  a 
crust  into  his  v/allet — "and  this  should  have  been  thy 
portion,"  said  hfe,  "hadst  thou  been  alive  to  have  shared 
it  with  me." 

3.    To  my  mind — though  I  am  native  here, 
And  to  the  manner  born — it  is  a  custom 
More  honored  in  the  breach  than  the  observance. 

Shakespeare. 

Summary  of  Inflection. 

1.  The  stronger  the  e7nj)hasis,  the  longer  the  slides. 

2.  In  unimpassioned  reading ^  the  emphasis  is  slight 
and  the  slides  are  short :  in  hold  and  dignified  composi- 
tioiiy  the  emphasis  is  stronger  and  the  slides  are  longer: 
and  in  highly  impassioned  or  dramatic  reading,  the  em- 
phasis is  strongest  and-  the  slides  are  longest. 

3.  The  general  principle  that  underlies  all  the  rules  of 
inflection  is  as  follovjs:  The  rising  inflection  in  general 
denotes  incompleteness  of  statement,  comparatively  unim- 
portant statement,  interrogation,  or  negation ;  the  falling 
inflection  denotes  completed  or  emphatic  statement. 


General  Inflection  Drill. 

1.  Sing  the  scale,  upward  and  downward. 

2.  Substitute  in   place  of    the   note   names   the    long 
vocals,  i^nus  :   a,  e,  i,  5,  u,  a,  e,  5. 

3.  Sound   the   third,   fifth,   and   eighth    notes    of    the 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  Ill 

scale ;  then  substitute  for  the  note  names  the  following : 
e,  ii,  00. 

4.  Give  the  long  vowel  sounds,  a,  e,  I,  o,  u,  (1)  with 
the  rising  "second;"  (2)  with  the  rising  "third;"  (3) 
with  the  rising  "fifth;"  (4)  with  the  rising  "eighth." 

5.  Give  the  long  vowel  sounds,  a,  e,  I,  5,  u,  with  the 
falling  "  second,"  "  third,"  "  fifth,"  and  "  eighth." 

6.  Give  the  long  vowel  sounds,  a,  e,  i,  5,  u,  w^ith  the 
rising  wave  of  the  "third;"  of  the  "fifth;"  of  the 
"  octave ; "  tlie  falling  wave  with  the  same  degrees. 


IV.     THE   CIECUMFLEX  INFLECTION 

The  circumflex,  or  wave,  is  a  combination  of  the  risinf^ 
and  falling  inflections  on  the  same  ^vord  or  sound. 

The  rising  circumflex  ends  with  the  rising  inflection, 
and  is  denoted  thus  (^) ;  the  falling  circumflex  ends 
witli  the  downward  slide,  and  is  marked  thus  (^). 

The  circumflex  is  more  emphatic  than  the  direct  rising 
and  falling  inflections.  The  circumflex  may  be  divided 
into  the  distinctive  and  the  emotional. 


1.    The  Distinctive  Circumflex  of  the  Third. 

The  distinctive,  or  unimpassioned,  circumflex  occurs 
when  the  voice  rises  or  falls  through  the  interval  of  the 
third.  It  is  the  characteristic  inflection  of  good-natured 
raillery,  of  humor,  and  of  wit.  It  is  used  in  express- 
ing a  pun,  or  a  play  upon  words.  It  expresses  a  double 
meaning,  or  a  double  relation.  It  carries  the  mind  back 
to  something  that  has  been  said,  or  forward  to  some- 
thing to  he  said.  This  form  of  circumflex  is  a  delicate 
wave  of  the  voice,  and  is  very  expressive ;  but  great  care 
should  be  taken  not  to  overdo  it.  Carried  t^  excess, 
it  becomes  ridiculous. 


112  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

II.    Inflection  Dkill. 

1.  Sound  the  long  vocals,  a,  e,  I,  o,  u,  with  the  slight 
rising  circumflex  of  the  third;  with  the  slight  falling 
circumflex. 

2.  Count  from  one  to  twenty,  with  the  slight  rising 
circumflex;  with  the  falling  wave  of  the  third. 

3.  It  is  n't  the  secret  I  care  about,  Mr.  Caudle.  It 's 
the  slight. 

4.  Do  you  hear  the  rain,  Mr.  Caudle  ? 

5.    When  lawyers  take  what  they  would  give, 
And  doctors  give  what  they  would  take. 

6.  I  should  do  Brutus  wrong,  and  Cassius  wrong, 
Who,  you  all  know,  are  Jwnorahle  meii. 

7.  Men,  indeed!  call  tliemselves  Krds  of  creation! 
Prltty  lords,  when  tliey  can't  even  take  care  of  an  iLm- 
brella  ! 

8.  Let  any  man  resolve  to  do  right  nSw,  leaving  thl^n 
to  do  as  it  can ;  and  if  he  were  to  live  to  the  age  of 
Methijbselah,  he  would  never  do  wrong.  But  the  com- 
mon error  is  to  resolve  to  act  right  after  hreahfast,  or 
after  dinner,  or  to-morrow  morning,  or  n^xt  time.  But 
now,  just  now,  this  once,  we  must  go  on  the  same  as 
ever. 

III.    Emotional  Circumflex. 

The  emotional  circumflex  occurs  when  the  voice  rises 
or  falls  through  an  interval  of  the  fifth  or  the  eighth. 

It  is  the  wave  of  irony,  sarcasm,  scorn,  contempt, 
hatred,  revenge,  astonishment,  or  amazement.  It  is  the 
inflection  of  very  strong  emphasis. 

The  rising  circumflex  occurs  where,  otherwise,  the 
direct  rising  inflection  would  be  used;  and  the  falling 
wave  where,  otherwise,  the  falling  slide  would  be  applied. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  113 

ly.    Inflection  Drill. 

1.  Sound  the  long  vocals,  a,  e,  i,  5,  u,  with  the  rising 
circumflex  of  the  fifth;  with  the  falling  circumflex. 

2.  Eepeat,  five  times,  with  surprise,  the   words,  ''ah! 
indled!''  with  the  rising  circumflex  of  the  fifth. 

3.  Gone  to  be  iiiarried  !   gone  to  swear  a  peace ! 

4.  Hath  not  a  Jew  hands,  organs,  dimensions,  senses, 
affections,  passions  ? 

5.  Eepeat,   witli   irony   and   the   falling   wave   of  the 
fifth,  the  expression,  ''I  told  you  sQ." 

6.  Sound  the  long  vocals,  a,  e,  I,  5,  u,  with  the  rising 
wave  of  the  eighth;  the  falling  wave  of  the  eighth. 

7.  Repeat,  five  times,  with  the  greatest  possible  aston- 
ishment, the  following :  ah  !  indeed  !  is  it  true  ! 

8.  0  ndhle  judge!    0  excellent  young  man! 

9.  No!   by  St.  Bride  of  Bothwell,  no! 

10.    Soars  thy  presumption  then  so  high, 
Because  a  wretched  Ixxrn  ye  slew, 
Homai^e  to  name  to  Eoderich  Dliiil 


Y.     Examples  of  the  Distinctive  Circumflex. 

The  distinctive  circumflex  is  the  delicate  wave  of  tlie 
voice,  generally  of  the  rising  or  falling  third,  indicative 
of  mirth,  fun,  wit,  humor,  and  good-natured  raillery. 
In  the  following  examples,  be  careful  not  to  overdo  the 
inflection  or  the  emphasis. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.      THE   DEBTOll. 

A  debtor  is  a  man  of  mark.  Many  eyes  are  fixed  upon 
him;  many  liave  interest  in  his  well-being;  his  move- 
ments are  of  concern;    he  can   not  disappear  unheeded; 


114  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

his  name  is  in  many  mouths;  his  name  is  upon  many 
hoohs ;  he  is  a  man  of  note — of  promissory  note ;  he  fills 
the  speculation  of  many  minds ;  men  conjecture  about 
him,  looncler  about  him — ivonder  and  conjecture  wliether 
he  will  pay.  He  is  a  man  of  consequence,  for  many  are 
rlXnning  after  him.  His  door  is  thronged  with  diXns. 
He  is  inquired  after  every  hour  of  the  day.  Judges  hear 
of  him  and  know  him.  Every  mlal  he  sicdUoivs,  every 
coat  he  puts  upon  his  hdcJc,  every  dollar  he  horrows, 
appears  before  the  country  in  some  formal  document. 
Compare  Ms  notoriety  w^ith  the  obscure  lot  of  the  cred- 
itor— of  the  man  who  has  nothing  but  claims  on  tlie 
world;  a  Idndloixl,  or  /i^^icZ-holder,  or  some  silch  disa- 
greeable, hard  character. 

2.  falstaff's  instinct. 
Why,  I  kiieAC  ye  as  well  as  he  that  7ndde  ye.  Why, 
hear  me,  my  masters:  was  it  for  7ne  to  kill  the  heir- 
apparent  ?  Should  /  turn  upon  the  ti^He  pi'ince  f  Why, 
thou  knowest  I  am  as  valiant  as  Hercules;  but  beware 
instinct ;  the  lion  will  not  touch  the  true  prince ;  instinct 
is  a  great  matter;  I  was  a  coward  on  instinct.  I  shall 
think  the  better  of  myself  and  thee  during  my  life;  / 
for  a  valiant  lion,  and  thou  for  a  true  prince. 

3.  falstaff's  honor. 
How  tlien  t  Can  lionor  set  a  % .?  No.  Or  an 
arm  ?  No.  Or  take  away  the  grief  of  a  wound  ?  No. 
Honor  hath  no  skill  in  surcjery,  then?  NS.  What  is 
honor?  A  word.  What  is  that  word?  Air.  A  trim 
reckoning!  Who  hdth  it?  He  that  died  o' Wednesday. 
Doth  he  feel  it  ?  No.  Doth  he  hear  it  ?  No.  Is  it 
^?^sensible,  then  ?  Yea,  to  the  dead.  But  will  it  not  live 
with  the  living?  No.  Why?  Detraction  w^ill  not  suffer 
it ;  therefore  I  '11  ndne  of  it. — Honor  is  a  mere  'scutcheon 
— and  so  ends  my  catechism. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


115 


4.       PORTIA,    IX   THE   MERCHANT   OF   VENICE. 

If  to  do  were  as  easy  as  to  know  what  were  good  to 
do,  chapels  had  been  chijbrchcs,  and  poor  men's  cottages 
princes'  palaces.  It  is  a  good  divine  that  follows  his 
own  instrijbctions,  I  can  easier  teach  twenty  what  were 
good  to  be  done  than  be  one  of  the  twenty  to  follow 
mine  own  tedching.  The  brain  may  devise  laws  for  the 
blood ;  but  a  hot  temper  leaps  over  a  cold  decree ;  such 
a  hare  is  madness,  the  youth,  to  skip  o'er  the  meshes 
of  good  counsel,  the  cripple.  But  this  reasoning  is  not 
in  the  fashion  to  choose  me  a  hllsband.  0  me !  the 
word  choose !  I  may  neither  choose  whom  I  would,  nor 
refuse  wlionj  I  dislike ;  so  is  the  will  of  a  living  daughter 
curbed  by  the  will  of  a  dead  father.  Is  it  not  hard, 
Nerissa,  tliat  I  can  not  choose  one,   nor  refuse  ndne  ? 

5.      ROMEO   AND   JULIET. 

Jul,    Oil !  swear  not  by  the  moon,  the  inconstant  moon 
That  monthly  changes  in  her  circled  orh ; 
Lest  that  thy  love  prove  likeivise  variable. 

Rom.    What  shall  I  swear  by  ? 

Jid.    Do 'not  swear  a^  all; 
Or,  if  thou  wilt,  swear  by  thy  gracious  selfy 
Which  is  the  god  of  my  idolatry, 
And  I  '11  believe  thee. 


6.      NELLY   GRAY. 


O,  Nelly  Gray  !   0,  Nelly  Gray  ! 

Is  this  your  love  so  warm  ? 
The  love  that  loves  a  scarlet  coat 

Should  be  more  iiniform  ! 


Hood. 


7.     THE  witch's  daughter. 


Her  mother  only  killed  a  cow, 
Or  witched  a  churn  or  dairy-pan  ; 
But  shl,  forsooth,  must  charm  a  mdn. 


Whittier. 


116  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

8.  CONTENTMENT. 

Little  I  ash ;   my  wants  are  flw : 

I  only  wish  a  Imt  of  stone 
(A  very  i^lct'i^'t^  hrown  stone  will  do), 

That  I  may  call  my  oivn  ; 
And  close  at  hand  is  such  a  one, 
In  yonder  street  that  fronts  the  sun. 

I  always  thought  cold  victual  nice. 
My  choice  would  be  vanilla-ice, 

I  only  ask  that  fortune  send 

A  little  more  than  I  can  spend.  holmes. 

9.  AUNT   TABITHA. 

Whatever  I  do,  and  whatever  I  say, 
Aunt  Tabitha  tells  me  that  is  n't  the  way. 
When  she  was  a  girl  (forty  summers  ago), 
Aunt  Tabitha  tells  me  they  never  did  so. 

Holmes. 

VI.    Examples  of  Emotional  Circumflex. 

The  emotional  circumflex  runs  into  the  fifth  and 
eighth,  and  requires  strong  emphasis.  This  form  of  the 
circumflex  is  expressive  of  sarcasm,  irony,  astonishment, 
revenge,  and  hatred. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  FROM  Dickens's  "  ciiristmas  carol." 
"  Let  me  hear  another  sound  from  you,''  said  Scrooge, 
"  and  you  '11  keep  your  Christmas  by  losing  your  situa- 
tion. You  're  quite  a  powerful  s'pea'kcr,  sir,"  he  added, 
turning  to  his  nephew.  "  I  wonder  you  do  n't  go  into 
Fdrliamentr 

2.      KING   JOHN. 

Thou  wear  a  lio7is  hide  ?     Doff  it  for  shame, 
And  hang  a  cdlf-skin  on  those  recreant  limbs. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  117 

3.       COPtlOLANUS. 

Measureless  liar  1   thou  hast  made  my  heart 

Too  great  for  what  contains  it. 

Boy  !     Cut  me  to  pieces,  Volscians ;  men  and  lads, 

Stain  dll  your  edges  on  me.     Boy  ! — 

If  you  have  writ  your  annals  true,  't  is  there 

That,  like  an  eagle  in  a  dovecot,  / 

Fluttered  your  Volscians  in  Corioli : 

Alone  I  did  it.     Boy  I 


If  it  will  feed  nothing  V.se,  it  will  feed  my  revenge. 
He  hath  disgraced  me,  and  hindered  me  of  half  a  mill- 
ion; laughed  at  my  Idsses,  mocked  at  my  gains,  scorned 
my  ndtion,  thwarted  my  hdrgains,  cooled  my  friends, 
heated  my  enemies.  And  what 's  his  reason  f  I  am  a 
Jew  I  Hath  not  a  Jew  eyes  ?  Hath  not  a  Jew  hands, 
organs,  dimensions,  shises,  afflictions,  passions  ?  Is  he  not 
fed  with  the  same  food,  hurt  with  the  same  weapons, 
subject  to  the  same  diseases,  healed  by  the  same  means, 
warmed  and  cooled  by  the  same  summer  and  winter,  as 
a  Christian  is  ?  If  you  stab  us,  do  we  not  hlled  ?  If 
you  ticlde  us,  do  we  not  laugh  ?  If  you  poison  us,  do 
we  not  die  ?     And  if  you  wrong  us.  shall  we  not  revenge  ? 

5.      SCHOOL  FOR  SCANDAL. 

Sir  Peter.  Very  ivlll,  ma'am,  very  ivlll ;  so  a  husband 
is  to  have  no  influence,  no  duthority  t 

Lady  Teazle,  Authority !  N6,  to  be  sure ;  if  you 
wanted  authority  over  me,  you  should  have  addpted  me, 
and  not  married  me ;   I  'm  sure  you  were  old  enough. 

Sir  Peter.  Old  enough  I  ay,  there  it  is.  Well,  will. 
Lady  Teazle,  though  my  life  may  be  made  unhappy  by 
your  tamper,  I  '11    not   be   ruined   by  your  extravagance. 

Lady  Teazle.  My  extravagance  !  Sir  Peter,  am  /  to 
blame  because  flowers  are  dear  in  cold  iveather  ?    You 


118  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

should  find  fault  with  the  climate,  and  not  with  val. 
For  my  part,  I  'm  sure,  I  wish  it  was  spring  all  the 
year  round,  and  that  roses  grew  under  our  feet. 

Sir  Peter,     Zounds  !     Madam,  you  had  no  taste  when 
you  married  m^. 

'  Lady  Teazle.  That  's  very  true,  indeed.  Sir  Pdter ; 
and  after  having  married  you,  I  should  never  pretend  to 
taste  again,  I  allow. 

6.       OTHELLO. 

lago.     My  noble  lord 

Othello.     What  dost  thou  say,  lago  ? 

lago.     Did  Michael  Cassio,  when  you  wooed  my  lady, 
know  of  your  love  ? 

Othello.     He    did,  from  first  to   last.     Why  dost   thou 
dsh  ? 

lago.     But  for  a  satisfaction  of  my  thought ; 
Xo  further  harm. 

Othello.     Why  of  thy  thought,  lago  ? 

lago. '    I  did  not  think,  he  had  been  acquainted  with  her. 

Othello.     0  yds  ;   and  went  between  us  very  oft. 

lago.     Indeed  ^ 

Othello.     Indeed  !   ^y,   indeed : — Discern'st   thou   aught 
in  that  1     Is  he  not  honest  ? 

lago.     Honest,  my  lord  ? 

Othello,     Ay,  honest. 

lago.     My  lord,  for  aught  I  know. 

Othello.     What  dost  thou  think  ? 

lago.     Think,  my  lord  ? 

Othello,     TMnh,  my  Idrd  ?     By  heavens  !  he  echoes  me, 
As  if  there  were  some  monster  in  his  thought 
Too  hideous  to  be  shown.     Thou  dost  mea7i  something. 

7.       FROM   THE   "  HONEYMOON." 

Jidia.     I  will  go  home  I 

Diihe,     You  are  at  home  already. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  119 

Jtdia.     I  '11  not  encMre  it ! — But  remember  this — 
Duke  or  no  duke,  I  '11  be  a  duchess,  sir ! 

Duke.     A  duchess!     You  shall  be  a  g[ueen — to  all 
Who,  by  the  courtesy,  will  call  you  so. 

Julia.     And  I  will  have  attendance ! 

Duke.     So  you  shall, 
When  you  have  learned  to  wait  upon  yourself. 

Julia.     To  wait  upon  myself!     Must  I  bear  this? 

Duke.     Excellent! 
How  idell  you  sum  the  duties  of  a  u'ife  ! 
Why,  what  a  Messing  I  shall  hdve  in  you ! 

Julia.  ''  A  blessing  f 

Duke.     When  they  talk  of  you  and  me, 
Darby  and  Joan  shall  no  more  be  remembered : — 
We  shall  be  happy! 

Julia.     Shall  we  ? 

Duke.      Wondrous  happy ! 
Oh,  you  will  make  an  dclmirahle  wife ! 

Julia.     I  will  make  a  vixen. 

Duke.      What? 

Juliet.     A  very  vixen. 

Duke.     Oh,  no  !     We  '11  have  7io  vixens. 

Julia.     I  '11  not  hear  it ! 
I  '11  to  my  fathers  ! — ■  tobin.  . 

Y.     THE  MONOTONE. 

The  Tiionotone  is  one  uniform  tone,  which  neither  rises 
nor  falls  in  pitch  above  or  below  the  general  level  of 
the  sentence.  It  is  a  continuous  flow  of  sound,  corre- 
sponding, in  some  degree,  to  the  chanting  tone  in  vocal 
music.  It  is  generally  associated  with  low  pitch  and  slow 
movement.  When  the  voice  is  under  the  influence  of 
awe  or  horror,  the  monotone  strikes  upon  the  ear  like 
the  recurring  pulsations  of  a  deep-toned  bell. 


120  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

The  monotone  is  the  natural  expression  of  voice  when 
the  feelings  are  under  the  influence  of  awe,  adoration, 
reverence,  sublimity,  grandeur,  or  horror. 

"  Grandeur  of  thought  and  sublimity  of  feeling,"  says 
Tower,  "are  always  expressed  by  this  movement.  The 
effect  produced  by  it  is  deep  and  impressive.  When 
its  use  is  known,  and  the  rule  for  its  application  is 
clearly  understood,  the  reading  will  be  characterized  by 
a  solemnity  of  manner,  a  grandeur  of  refinement,  and 
a  beauty  of  execution,  whicli  all  will  acknowledge  to  be 
in  exact  accordance  with  the  dictates  of  Nature,  and 
strictly  within  the  pale  of  her  laws." 

The  monotone,  one  of  the  most  effective  tones  in 
elocution,  must  not  be  confounded  with  monotony,  one 
of  the  worst  faults  in  school  reading. 

There  is  one  form  of  monotone,  prevailing  in  the 
poetry  of  sentiment,  that  is  not  combined  with  low  pitch. 
This  may  be  called  2^oetic  monotone,  as  contrasted  with 
the  monotone  on  a  low  pitch,  which  may  be  termed 
grave  monotone. 

In  poetic  monotone,  the  key  is  not  necessarily  lower 
than  the  middle  pitch,  though  there  is  always  something 
of  the  suppressed  force  of  pathos  and  sentiment.  In 
examples  of  the  poetic  monotone,  the  slight  or  suspen- 
sive rising  inflection  takes  the  place  of  monotone. 

I.    Inflection  Deill  on  the  Monotone. 

1.  Eepeat,  five  times,  the  long  vowel  sounds,  a,  c,  i,  5,  u. 

2.  Count,  in  low^  pitch  combined  with  monotone,  from 
one  to  twenty,  thus :   one,  two,  three,  etc. 

3.  EoU  on,  thou  deep  and  dark  bliie  ocean,  r5ll! 
Ten  thousand  fleets  sweep  over  thee  in  vain. 

4.  An  ancient  time-piece  says  to  all — 

Tdrever — never ! 
Never — forever ! 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  121 

II.    Examples  of  Poetic  Monotone. 

1.      FROM    POE's    "KAVEN." 

Then,   methougbt,   the   air  grew   denser,  perfumed   from 

an  unseen  censer 
Swung    by    Seraphim,   whose    footfalls    tinkled    on    the 

tufted  floor. 
This  I  sat  engaged  in  guessing,  but  no  syllable  expressing 
To  the  fowl,  whose  fiery  eyes  now  burned  into  my  bosom's 

core  ; 
This  and  more   I    sat   divining,  with   my  head   at   ease 

reclining 
On    the    cushion's    velvet    lining    that    the     lamp-light 

gloated  o'er, 
But   whose    velvet    violet    lining    with    the    lamp-light 

gloating  o'er 

She  shall  press,  ah,  nevermore! 

2.    FROM  "the  closing  scene." 
Long,  but  not  loud,  the  droning  wheel  went  on, 

Like  the  low  murmur  of  a  hive  at  noon; 
Long,  but  not  loud,  the  memory  of  the  gone 

Breathed  through  her  lips  a  sad  and  tremulous  tune. 
At  last  the  thread  was  snapped:   her  head  was  bowed; 

Life  dropped  the  distaff  through  his  hands  serene, — 
And  loving  neighbors  smoothed  her  careful  shroud, 

While  Death  and  Winter  closed  the  autumn  scene. 


3.      PASSING  AWAY. 

While  yet  I  looked,  what  a  change  tliere  came ! 

Her  eye  was  quenched,  and  her  cheek  was  wan; 
Stooping  and  staffed  was  her  withered  frame, 
Yet  just  as  busily  swung  she  on. 
The  garland  beneath  her  had  fallen  to  dust: 
The  wheels  above  her  were  eaten  with  rust. 


122  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

The  hands,  that  over  the  dial  swept, 
Grew  crooked  and  tarnished,  but  on  they  kept; 
And  still  there  came  that  silver  tone 
From  the  shriveled  lips  of  the  toothless  crone — 
Let  me  never  forget,  to  my  dying  day, 
The  tone  or  the  burden  of  that  lay — 
*•'  Passing  aivay  !     Passing  away  !  " 

PlERPONT. 

III.    Low,  OR  GuAVE,  Monotone. 

The  low,  or  grave,  monotone  is  pitched  on  the  lower 
notes  of  the  voice.  It  is  indicated  by  the  macrons 
placed  over  the  vowels: 

1.     Alexander's  feast. 
He  chose  a  m5urnful  miise, 
Soft  pity  to  infiise: 
He  sung  Darius  great  and  g5od. 

By  too  severe  a  fate. 
Fallen,  fallen,  fallen,  fallen, 

Fallen  from  his  high  estate, 
And  weltering  in  his  blood.  dryden. 

2.      THE    SEA. 

Break,  break,  break. 

On  thy  cold  gray  stones,  0  Sea ! 
And  I  would  that  my  tongue  could  utter 

The  th5ughts  that  arise  in  me. 

0  well  for  the  fisherman's  boy. 

That  he  sh5uts  witli  his  sister  at  play ! 

0  well  for  the  sailor  lad, 

That  he  sings  in  his  b5at  on  the  bay! 

And  the  stately  ships  g5  on 
To. their  haven  linder  the  hill; 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  123 

But  0  for  the  touch  of  a  vanished  hand, 
And  the  sound  of  a  voice  that  is  still! 

Break,  break,  break, 

At  the  foot  of  thy  crags,  0  Sea  I 
But  the  tender  grace  of  a  day  that  is  dead 

Will  never  come  back  to  ine.  tennyson. 

3.      DEATH. 

Leaves  have  their  time  to  fall, 
And  flowers  to  wither  at  the  north-wind's  breath, 

And  stars  to  set — but  all. 
Thou  hast  all  seasons  for  thine  own,  0  Death ! 


4.       DRIFTING. 

From  the  strong  Will,  and  the  Endeavor 

That  forever 
Wrestles  with  the  tides  of  Fate; 
From  the  wreck  of  Hopes  far  scattered, 

Tempest-sh  attered, 
Floating  waste  and  desolate ; — 

Ever  drifting,  drifting,  drifting 

On  the  shifting 
Currents  of  the  restless  heart ; 
Till  at  length  in  books  recorded. 

They,  like  hoarded 

Household   words,   no   more   depart.  Longfellow. 

5.      THE   BATTLE. 

Heavy  and  solemn, 

A  cloudy  column, 
Through  the  green  plain  they  marching  came — 

Measureless  spread,  like  a  table  dread. 
For  the  wild,  grim  dice  of  the  iron  game. 


124  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Looks  are  bent  on  the  shaking  ground, 
Hearts  beat  low  with  a  knelling  sound ; 
Swift  by  the  breast  that  must  bear  the  brunt, 
Gallops  the  major  along  tlie  front. 

"  Halt  I " 
And  fettered  they  stand  at  the  stark  command, 
And  the  warriors,  silent,  lialt.  schiller. 

6.       THE   PRISONER   OF   CHILLON. 

For  all  was  blank,  and  bleak,  and  gray; 

It  was  not  night — it  was  not  day; 

It  was  not  even  the  dungeon  light, 

So  hateful  to  my  heavy  sight — 

But  vacancy  absorbing  space, 

And  fixedness — without  a  place; 

There  were  no  stars — no  earth — no  time — 

No  check — no  change — no  good- — no  crime — 

But  silence,  and  a  stirless  breath 

Which  neither  was  of  life  nor  dfeath : 

A  sea  of  stagnant  idleness — 

Blind,  boundless,  mute,  and  motionless.        byron. 

7.  What  this  grim,  ungainly,  ghastly, 
Gaunt,  and  ominous  bird  of  yore 
Meant  in  croaking  "Nevermore." 

8.    To-morrow,  and  to-morrow,  and  to-morrow^, 
Creeps  in  this  petty  pace  from  day  to  day, 
To  the  last  syllable  of  recorded  time ; 
And  all  our  yesterdays  have  lighted  fools 
The  way  to  dusty  dfeath.     Out,  oiit,  brief  candle ! 
Life 's  but  a  walking  shadow ;    a  poor  x>l^yer. 
That  struts  and  frets  his  hour  upon  the  stage. 
And  then  is  heard  no  more  :   it  is  a  tale 
Told  by  an  idiot,  full  of  sound  and  fury, 
Signifying  nothing. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  125 

9.      THE   OCEAN. 

Thou  glorious  mirror,  where  the  Almighty's  form 

Glasses  itself  in  tempests ;   In  all  time, 

Calm  or  convulsed,  In  breeze,  or  gale,  or  storm, 

Icing  the  pole,  or  in  the  torrid  clime 

Dark-heaving — boundless,  endless,  and  sublime  ; 

The  Image  of  Ett^rnity — the  thrdne 

Of  the  Invisible  ;   even  from  out  thy  slime 

The  monsters  of  the  deep  are  made  ;   each  zone 

Obfeys  thee ;  thou  goest  forth,  dread,  fathomless  alone. 

Byeox, 
10.      SONG   OF   THE   SIIIIIT. 

Work — work — work  ! 
Till  the  brain  begins  to  swim ; 

Work — work — work  ! 
Till  the  eyes  are  lieavy  and  dim ! 
Seam,  and  gusset,  and  band, 

Band,  and  gusset,  and  seam. 
Till  over  the  biittons  I  fall  asleep, 

And  sew  them  on  in  a  dream  1        hood. 

IL      THE   GHOST   IN  HAMLET. 

Gliost.   I  am  thy  father's  spirit ; 
Doomed  for  a  certain  term  to  walk  the  night ; 
And,  for  the  day,  confined  to  fast  in  fires. 
Till  the  foul  crimes,  done  in  my  days  of  nature. 
Are  biirnt  and  pHrged  away.     But  that  I  am  forbid 
To  tell  the  secrets  of  my  prison-house, 
I  could  a  tale  unfold,  whose  lightest  vv5rd 
Woiild  harrow  up  thy  soul ;   freeze  thy  young  bl5od ; 
Make  thy  tw5  eyes,  like  stars,  start  from  their  spheres  ; 
Thy  kndtted  and  combined  locks  to  part, 
And  each  particular  hair  to  stand  on  end. 
Like  qiiills  upon  the  fretful  porcupine.  Shakespeare. 


126  school  elocution. 

Eecapitulation  of  Inflections. 

1.  The  rising  inflection  is  the  slide  of  aiypeal,  of  inquiry, 
of  ineornpleteness,  and  of  negation  contrasted  with  affirma- 
tion. 

2.  The  falling  inflection  is  the  slule  of  assertion,  of  com- 
mand, and  of  complete  statement. 

3.  The  ci"r  cum  flex  is  the  luave  of  ivit,  humor,  raillery, 
irony,  sarcasm,  satire,  and  revenge. 

4.  The  monotone  is  the  tone  expressive  of  grandeur,  sub- 
limity, reverence,  awe,  amazement,  and  horror. 

Inflection  Drill  Eeview. 

1.  Eepeat,  three  times,  the  long  vowel  sounds,  a,  e, 
T,  0,  u.  (1)  Witli  the  rising  second.  (2)  With  the  ris- 
ing third.  (3)  With  the  rising  fifth.  (4)  With  the  rising 
octave. 

2.  Eepeat,  three  times,  a,  e,  T,  5,  ii.  (1)  With  the 
falling  second.  (2)  With  the  falling  third.  (3)  With 
the  falling  fifth.     (4)  With  the  falling  eighth. 

3.  Eepeat,  tln^ee  times,  \v\i\\  the  same  degrees  of  in- 
flection as  above,  e,  a,  a,  o,  o. 

4.  Eepeat,  three  times,  a,  e,  I,  6,  u.  (1)  With  the 
rising  circumflex  of  the  third.  (2)  Fifth.  (3)  Octave. 
(4)  Falling  circumflex  of  the  third.  (5)  Falling  fifth. 
(6)  Falling  octave. 

5.  The  same  degrees  of  the  circumflex  as  above,  on 
e,  a,  a,  o,  o. 

6.  Eepeat,  three  times,  a,  e,  i,  o,  ii,  with  the  low  mon- 
otone. 

7.  Eepeat,  three  times,  e,  a,  a,  a,  o,  o,  with  the  low 
monotone. 


school  elocution.  127 

Inflection  Drill   on  Vocals. 
Bead  J  in  concert,  the  luords  of  the  follovnng  Table : 

1.  With  the  rising  inflection. 

2.  With  the  falling  inflection. 

3.  With  the  rising  circumflex. 

4.  With  the  fcdling  circumflex. 

a,  e. — ale,  made,  braid,  gauge,  veil,  play,  weight, 
a. — alms,  chart,  heart,  laugh,  haunt,  aunt,  path, 
a,  6. — all,  awe,  law,  fall,  haul,  bawl,  -erawl,  ought, 
a. — add,  that,  brat,  hand,  land,  plaid,  bade, 
a. — air,  bare,  dare,  prayer,  there,  hair,  scarce. 
a. — ask,  -eask,  task,  pass,  grass,  dance,  glance. 
a,  o. — what,  spot,  w^ad,  wand,  was,  watch,  wan. 
e. — eat,  beat,  beet,  thege,  seize,  freeze,  leave§. 
e. — end,  let,  threat,  get,  gem,  bread,  yet,  said. 
e,  1. — earth,  heard,  learn,  earn,  err,  third,  gird, 
e,  a. — they,  weigh,  nay,  neigh,  sleigh,  prey,  pra\^ 
I. — i^e.  Isle,  aisle,  wine,  height,  while,  rhyme. 
1. — ill,  it,  win,  thin,  been,  gin,  since,  zinc. 
1,  e. — mirtb,  girl,  dirt,  verse,  terse,  worse,  world, 
i',  e. — pique,  clique,  -creek,  oblique,  ravine. 
0. — old,  tli5§e,  groan,  force,  p5ur,  roar,  more, 
u. — 5dd,  on,  blot,  spot,  got,  god,  rod,  phlox. 
o,  00,  u. — move,  proof,  lo§e,  loose,  roof,  choose. 
6,  a. — or,  nor,  war,  for,  lord,  -cord,  fought,  -caught. 
6,  ii. — done,  doth,  dost,  dust,  blood,  flood,  -come. 
9,  00,  u. — w9lf,  w^ould,  wood,  could,  should,  good. 
u. — ii§e,  nmte,  mu§e,  feiid,  lieu,  view,  new,  tiibe. 
ii,  6. — up,  biit,  hiit,  son,  blood,  gun,  duck,  some. 
H. — urge,  purge,  surge,  curd,  urn,  burn,  churn, 
u,  00,  o. — rule,  s-ehool,  brute,  route,  wound,  rude. 
XI,  00,  0. — put,  pull,  push,  bull,  w^ool,  wolf,  wood, 
oi,  oy. — oil,  toy,  boil,  -eoil,  roil,  joy,  boy,  cloy, 
ou,  ow. — out,  noun,  proud,  now,  liow,  gout,  pout. 


128  school  elocution. 

Examples   of  Emphasis,   Pauses,  and  Inflection. 

1.       JOHN   BUNYAX. 

Bunyan  |  is  almost  the  only  writer  |  that  ever  gave  to 
the  abstract  \  the  interest  of  the  concrete.  In  the  works 
of  many  celebrated  authors  1  men  are  mere  loersonifictt- 
tions.  We  have  not  an  Othello,  but  jealousy ;  not  an 
Idgo,  but  jperfichj ;  not  a  Brutus,  but  patriotism.  The 
mind  of  Biini/an,  on  the  contrary,  was  so  imaginative  | 
that  2^(^'^^onificdtions,  when  he  dealt  with  them,  became 
m'^n,  A  dialogue  between  two  qiihlitieSy  in  his  dream, 
has  more  dramatic  effect  |  than  a  dialogue  between  two 
human  beings  \  in  most  plays. 

The  sti/le  of  Bunyan  |  is  delightful  to  every  reader, 
and  invaluable  |  as  a  study  |  to  every  person  |  who  wishes 
to  obtain  a  wide  command  over  the  English  language. 
The  vocdbidary  \  is  the  vocabulary  of  the  common  i^eoi^le. 
There  is  not  an  expression,  if  we  except  a  few  technical 
terms  of  theology,  which  would  puzzle  the  rudest  peasant. 
We  have  observed  several  pages  j  which  do  not  contain 
a  single  ivbrd  \  of  more  than  two  sajllables.  Yet  no  writer 
I  has  said  more  exactly  \  what  he  meant  to  say.  Eor 
magnificence,  for  pathos,  for  vehement  exhortation,  for 
subtile  disquisition,  for  every  purpose  of  the  poet,  the 
orator,  and  the  divine,  this  homely  cUalect,  the  dialect  of 
plain  worhingmen,  was  perfectly  sufficient.  There  is  no 
book  in  our  literature  \  on  which  we  would  so  readily 
stake  the  fame  \  of  the  old  unpolluted  English  language  ; 
no  book  I  which  shows  so  well  |  how  rich  that  language 
Is,  in  its  own  proper  wealth,  and  how  little  it  has  been 
improved  \  by  all  that  it  has  bbrrovjcd. 

Cowper  said,  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago,  that  he  dared 
not  name  John  Bunyan  in  his  verse,  for  fear  of  moving 
a  sneer.  We  \  live  in  better  times ;  and  we  are  not  afrhid  \ 
to  say,  that  though  there  were  many  clever  men  in 
Eno-land  I  durinGj  the  latter  half  of  the  seventeenth  cdn- 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  129 

tury,  there  were  only  two  \  great  \  creative  \  minds.  One 
of  these  produced  the  "Paradise  Lost,"  the  other  \  the 
"Pilgrim's  Progress."  macaulay. 

2.       IIYDER  ALT. 

[This  extract  must  he  read  with  strongly  marked  rising  and  falling 
inflections.'] 

"Whilst  the  authors  of  all  these  evils  |  were  idly  and 
stupidly  gazing  on  this  menaeing  meteor,  which  black- 
ened all  the  horizon,  it  suddenly  hurst,  and  poured  down 
the  whole  of  its  contents  |  upon  the  plains  of  the  Car- 
natic.  Then  ensued  a  scene  of  woe,  the  like  of  which  | 
no  eye  |  had  seen,  no  heart  \  conceived,  and  which  no 
tongue  \  can  adequately  tell.  The  miserable  inhabitaiats, 
flying  from  their  flaming  villages,  in  part  |  were  slaugh- 
tered;  others,  without  regard  to  sex,  to  age,  to  rank,  or 
sacredness  of  fiinction — fathers  \  torn  from  children,  hus- 
bands I  from  wives — enveloped  in  a  whirlwind  of  cavalry^ 
and  amidst  the  goading  shears  of  drivers,  and  the  tram- 
pling of  pursuing  horses,  were  swept  into  captivity,  in 
an  unknown  and  hostile  land.  Those  who  were  able  to 
evdde  this  tempest,  fled  to  the  walled  cities.  But,  escaping 
from  fire,  sivdrd,  and  exile,  they  fell  into  the  jaws  of 
famine. 

For  eighteen  months,  without  intermission,  this  destruc- 
tion I  raged  |  from  the  gates  of  Madras  \  to  the  gates  of 
Tanjbre ;  and  so  completely  did  these  masters  in  their 
art,  Hyder  Ali,  and  his  more  ferocious  son,  absolve 
themselves  |  of  their  impious  vow,  that  when  the  British 
armies  \  traversed,  as  they  did,  the  Carnatic  |  for  liun- 
dreds  of  miles  in  all  directions,  throitgh  the  whole  line 
of  their  march  they  did  not  see  one  \  man,  not  one  \  woman, 
not  6ne  \  child,  not  one  \  four-footed  least  \  of  any  descrip- 
tion I  whatever.  One  dead  |  liniform  |  silence  |  reigned  | 
over  the  wh5le  region.  burke. 


130  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

3.   CONTRAST  OF  TACT  AND  TALENT. 

[This  extract  affords  a  good  illustration  of  distinctive  or  unimpassioned 
circicmflex.] 

Talent  \  is  something,  but  tact  |  is  every  thing.  Talent  | 
is  sferious,  sober,  grave,  and  respectable :  tact  |  is  all  tliat, 
and  more  too.  It  is  not  a  sixth  sense,  but  it  is  the  life 
of  all  the  five.  It  is  the  open  eye,  the  quick  ear,  the 
judging  taste,  the  keen  smell,  and  the  lively  tbueh ;  it  is 
the  interpreter  of  all  riddles,  the  surmdunter  of  all  diffi- 
culties, the  remover  of  all  obstacles.  It  is  useful  in  all 
places,  and  at  all  times;  it  is  useful  in  solitude,  for  it 
shows  a  man  Into  the  world;  it  is  useful  in  society,  for 
it  shows  him  his  way  |  through  the  world. 

Talent  \  is  2^0 wer,  tdct  \  is  skill ;  talent  \  is  weiglit,  tact  | 
is  moynentum ;  talent  \  knows  what  to  do,  tact  |  knows 
how  to  dd  it ;  talent  \  makes  a  man  respectable,  tact  \  will 
make  him  respected;  talent  is  idealth,  tact  \  is  ready 
money.  For  all  the  practical  purposes,  tdct  \  carries  it 
against  talent  \  ten  to  one. 

Take  them  to  the  theater,  and  put  them  against  each 
other  on  the  stage,  and  talent  \  shall  produce  you  a 
tragedy  that  shall  scarcely  live  long  enough  to  be  con- 
demned,  while  tdct  \  keeps  the  house  in  a  roar,  night 
after  night,  with  its  successful  farces.  There  is  no  want 
of  dramatic  talent,  there  is  no  want  of  dramatic  tdct; 
but  they  are  seldom  together:  so  we  have  successful 
pieces  |  which  are  not  respectable,  and  respectable  pieces  | 
which  are  not  successful. 

Take  them  to  the  bar,  and  let  them  shake  their  learned 
curls  at  each  other  in  legal  rivalry;  talent  \  sees  its  way 
clearly,  but  tdct  \  is  first  at  its  journey's  end.  Tdlent  \ 
has  many  a  compliment  from  the  b^nch,  but  tdct  \  touches 
fees.  Tdlent  makes  the  world  wonder  that  it  gets  on 
no  faster,  tdct  \  arouses  astonishment  |  that  it  gets  on  so 
fast.  And  the  secret  is,  that  it  has  no  weight  to  carry; 
it  makes  no  false   steps;   it   hits   the   right   nail  on  tlie 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  131 

head;  it  loses  no  time;  it  takes  all  hints;  and  by  keep- 
ing its  eye  on  the  weather-cock,  is  ready  to  take  advantage 
of  every  wind  that  blows. 

Take  them  into  the  church  :  talent  \  has  always  some- 
thing worth  hearing,  tact  \  is  sure  of  abundance  of  hear- 
ers ;  talent  \  may  obtain  a  living,  tact  will  make  one; 
talent  \  gets  a  good  name,  tdct  \  a  great  one ;  talent  |  con- 
vinces, tact  I  converts;  talent  \  is  an  honor  to  the  pro- 
fession, tact  I  gains  honor  |  f^^ovi  the  profession. 

Take  them  to  cbu7^t :  talent  \  feels  its  ivlight,  tact  | 
finds  its  lody ;  tdlent  \  commandos,  tdct  \  is  obeyed ;  tal- 
ent I  is  honored  with  cipprobation,  and  tact  |  is  blessed 
by  preferment.  Place  them  in  the  senate:  tdlent  \  has 
the  ear  of  the  house,  but  tact  |  wins  its  heart,  and  has 
its  votes;  tdlent  \  is  fit  for  employment,  but  tdct  \  is 
fitted  for  it.  It  has  a  knack  |  of  slipping  into  place 
with  a  siveet  silence  and  glibness  of  movement,  as  a  hlll- 
iard-bdl\  instmtates  itself  into  the  pocket. 

It  seems  to  know  ever^j  thing,  without  learning  dny 
thing.  It  has  served  an  extemporary  apprentices] dp  ;  it 
wants  no  drilling  ;  it  never  ranks  in  the  dwkward  squad ; 
it  has  no  left  hand,  no  deaf  ear,  no  blind  side.  It  puts 
on  no  look  of  wondrous  wisdom,  it  has  no  air  of  profun- 
dity, but  plays  with  the  details  of  place  |  as  dexterously 
as  a  well-taught  hand  \  flourishes  over  the  keys  of  the 
piano-forte.  It  has  all  the  air  of  commonplace,  and  all 
the  force  and  power  of  genius.  london  Atias. 

4.      THE   PURITANS. 

[Marked  for  em2')hasis,  inflection,  and  rhetorical  pauses.  Require  the 
class  to  give  the  reasons  for  the  marking.  To  he  read  with  strongly 
marked  emphasis  and  inflections.'] 

We  would  speak  first  of  the  Piiritans,  the  most 
remarkable  body  of  men,  perhaps,  which  the  world  has 
ever  produced.  The  ddious  and  ridiculous  parts  of  their 
character  |  lie  on  the  surface.     He  that  riins  \  may  r^ad 


132  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

them;  nor  have  there  been  wanting  |  attentive  and 
malicious  observers  \  to  point  them  out.  For  many  years 
after  the  Eestoration,  they  were  the  theme  |  of  unmeas- 
ured invective  and  derision.  They  were  exposed  |  to  the 
utmost  licentiousness  of  the  press  \  and  of  the  stage,  at 
the  time  when  the  press  and  the  stage  |  were  mdst  licen- 
tious. They  were  not  men  of  letters ;  they  %vere  \  as  a 
body  I  2m^ap?xZar;  they  could  not  rZ^/6?i(i  themselves ;  " 
and  the  public  \  would  not  take  them  |  under  its  protec- 
tion. They  were  therefore  abandoned  |  without  reserve  \ 
to  the  tender  mdrcies  |  of  the  satirists  and  dramatists. 
The  ostentatious  simplicity  of  their  dress,  their  sour 
aspect,  their  nasal  tivdng,  their  stiff  posture,  their  long 
graces,  their  Hchrevj  ndmes,  the  scriptural  phrases  which 
they  introduced  on  every  occasion,  their  contempt  of 
human  learning,  their  detestation  of  polite  amusements, 
were  indeed  fair  game  for  the  laughers.  But  it  is  not 
from  the  laughers  alone  |  that  the  phildsophy  of  h\story  \ 
is  to  be  learned.  And  he  who  approaches  this  subject  | 
should  carefully  guard  against  the  influence  |  of  that 
potent  riclicidc  \  which  has  already  misled  so  many  ex- 
cellent writers. 

Those  who  roused  the  people  to  resistance,  who 
directed  their  measures  through  a  long  series  of  event- 
ful years,  who  formed,  out  of  the  most  unpromising 
mcdericds,  the  finest  army  \  that  Europe  had  ever  seen, 
who  trampled  down  king,  Church,  and  aHstdcracy,  who, 
in  the  short  intervals  of  domestic  sedition  and  rehellion, 
made  the  name  of  England  |  terrible  to  every  nation  on 
the  face  of  the  earth,  were  no  vulgar  fanatics.  Most  of 
their  absurdities  |  were  mere  external  hddges,  like  the 
signs  of  freemasonry,  or  the  dresses  of  friars.  We  re- 
gret I  that  these  badges  |  were  not  more  attractive.  We 
regret  \  that  a  body  |  to  whose  courage  and  talents  |  man- 
kind has  owed  inestimcMe  obligations  |  had  not  the  lofty 
elegance  \  which  distinguished  some  of   the   adherents   of 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  133 

Charles  I.,  or  the  easy  good  hreecling  \  for  which  the 
court  of  Charles  ll.  was  celebrated.  But,  if  we  must 
make  our  chdicCj  we  shall,  like  Bassanio  in  the  play, 
turn  from  the  specious  caskets,  which  contain  only  the 
cleatlis  head  and  the  fool's  head,  and  ^yi  our  choice  |  on 
the  plain  leaden  chest  \  which  conceals  the  treasure. 

The  Puritans  \  were  men  |  whose  minds  |  had  derived 
a  peculiar  character  \  from  the  daily  contemplation  |  of 
superior  heings  \  and  eternal  Interests.  'Not  content  \  with 
acknowledging,  in  general  terms,  an  overriding  Provi- 
clencCy  they  habitually  ascribed  every  event  \  to  the  will 
of  the  Great  Being,  for  whose  power  |  nothing  was  too 
vasty  for  whose  inspection  \  nothing  was  tdo  minute.  To 
hnoio  him,  to  serve  him,  to  enjoy  him,  was  with  them  | 
the  great  end  of  existence.  They  rejected  with  con- 
tempt I  the  ceremonious  homage  |  which  other  sects  \ 
substituted  for  the  2J>zt?'<3  worship  of  the  soul.  Instead 
of  catching  occasional  glimpses  of  the  Deity  |  through 
an  obscuring  veil,  they  aspired  to  gaze  full  \  on  the 
intdlerahle  brightness,  and  to  commune  with  him  \fdce 
to  face.  Hence  originated  |  their  contempt  \  for  terres- 
trial distinctions. 

The  difference  between  the  greatest  and  the  meanest 
of  mankind  |  seemed  to  vd^nisk,  when  compared  with  the 
boundless  interval  |  which  separated  the  lohole  race  \  from 
him  I  on  whom  their  6wn  eyes  |  were  constantly  fixed. 
They  recognized  no  title  to  superiority  |  but  his  favor ; 
and,  cdnfident  of  that  favor,  they  despised  all  the  accdvi- 
plishments  \  and  all  the  dignities  of  the  icbrld.  If  they 
were  unacquainted  with  the  works  of  ^^^^'^^^^oj^hers  and 
pdets,  they  were  dkjoly  read  \  in  the  oracles  of  Gbd.  If 
their  names  were  not  found  in  the  registers  of  Mralds, 
they  felt  assured  that  they  were  recorded  in  the  Booh 
of  Life.  If  their  steps  were  not  accompanied  by  a 
splendid  train  of  menials,  legions  of  ministering  d^ngcls  \ 
had   charge   over   them.     Their  ^Jtt/ac^s   [  were    houses  | 


134  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

not  made  with  hands,  their  diadems  \  crowns  of  gl6ry  \ 
which  should  never  fade  aioay. 

On  the  rich  and  the  eloquent,  on  ndhles  and  priests, 
they  looked  down  with  contempt;  for  they  esteemed 
themselves  |  onch  in  a  more  precious  treasure,  and  Eloquent 
in  a  mo7'e  suhllme  language,  nobles  \  by  the  right  of  an 
earlier  creation,  and  priests  |  by  the  imposition  |  of  a 
mightier  hand.  The  very  meanest  of  them  |  was  a  Ming  \ 
to  whose  fate  |  a  mysterious  and  terriUe  imjybrtance  \  be- 
longed— on  whose  slightest  actions  \  the  spirits  of  light 
and  darkness  \  looked  with  anxious  Interest — wlio  had 
been  destined,  before  heaven  and  earth  were  created,  to 
enjoy  a  felicity  \  w^hicli  should  continue  |  when  heaven 
and  darth  |  should  have  passed  away.  Events  \  which 
short-sighted  politicians  |  ascribed  to  earthly  causes  j  had 
been  ordained  on  hts  account.  For  Ms  sake  |  empires 
had  risen,  and  flourished,  and  decayed.  For  his  sake  | 
the  Almighty  \  had  proclaimed  his  will  |  by  the  pen  of 
the  evangelist  |  and  the  harp  of  the  prophet.  He  had 
been  rescued  by  no  common  deliverer  |  from  the  grasp  | 
of  no  common  foe.  He  had  been  ransomed  |  by  the 
sweat  of  no  vitlgar  agony,  by  the  blood  of  no  earthly 
sacrifice.  It  was  for  him  \  that  tlie  sun  \  had  been  dark- 
ened, that  the  rocks  \  had  been  rent,  and  the  dead  had 
arisen,  that  all  nature  \  had  shuddered  at  the  sufferings  | 
of  her  expiring  God  ! 

Thus  the  Piiritcin  \  was  made  up  |  of  tivh  different 
men,  the  one  \  all  s,Q\i-al)dsement,  penitence,  gratitude, 
passion;  the  other  \  proud,  calm,  inflexible,  sagacious. 
He  prostrated  himself  in  the  dust  before  his  Maker; 
but  he  set  his  foot  \  on  the  neck  of  his  king.  In  his 
devotional  retirement,  he  prayed  with  convulsions,  and 
groans,  and  thtrs.  He  was  half-maddened  by  glorious  \ 
or  thrrible  illusions.  He  heard  the  lyres  of  angels  \  or 
the  tempting  whispers  of  fiends.  He  caught  a  gleam  of 
the   Beatific  Vision,  or  woke  screaming  \  from  dreams  of 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  135 

everlasting  fire.  Like  Vane,  he  thought  himself  intrusted 
with  the  scepter  |  of  the  millennial  year.  Like  Fleet- 
wood, he  cried  in  the  bitterness  of  his  soul  |  tliat  God  \ 
had  liid  his  fcice  from  him.  But  when  he  took  his 
seat  in  the  council^  or  girt  on  his  sword  for  icdr,  these 
tempestuous  workings  of  the  soul  |  had  left  nb  ^perceptible 
trace  behind  them.  People  who  saw  nothing  of  the 
gddly  \  but  their  uncouth  visages,  and  heard  nothing 
from  them  |  but  their  groans  |  and  their  whining  hymns, 
might  Iditgh  at  them.  But  those  had  little  reason  to 
laugh  I  who  encountered  them  |  in  the  hall  of  debate  | 
or  in  the  field  of  battle. 

These  fanatics  \  brought  to  civil  and  military  affairs  | 
a  coolness  of  judgment  \  and  an  immutability  of  lAr- 
pose  I  which  some  writers  have  thought  |  inconsistent 
with  their  religious  zeal,  but  which  w^ere,  in  fact,  the 
necessary  effects  of  it.  The  intensity  of  their  feelings 
on  one  subject  |  made  them  trcinquil  \  on  every  other. 
One  overpdwering  sentiment  \  had  subjected  to  itself  |  pity 
and  hatred,  ambition  and  I'fear.  Death  \  had  lost  its  ter- 
Tors,  and  pleasure  \  its  chctrms. 

They  had  their  smiles  \  and  their  tears,  their  raptures  \ 
and  their  sorrows,  but  not  \  for  the  things  of  this 
world.  Enthusiasm  |  had  made  them  stoics,  had  cleared 
their  minds  from  every  vulgar  passion  and  prejudice, 
and  raised  them  above  the  influence  of  danger  and 
of  corruption.  It  sometimes  might  lead  them  to  purr 
sue  unwise  ends,  but  never  to  choose  unwise  means. 

They  went  through  the  world  |  like  Sir  Artegale's  iron 
man  Talus  with  his  flail,  crushing  and  trampling  down 
oppressors,  mingling  with  human  brings,  but  having 
neither  part  nor  lot  |  in  human  infirmities ;  insensible 
to  fatigue,  to  'pleasure,  and  to  phin ;  not  to  be  pierced 
by  any  weapon,  not  to  be  withstood  by  any  hhrrier, 

Macaulay. 


136  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

5.      THE   niGHT   TO  TAX  AMERICA. 

"  But,  Mr.  Speaker,  we  have  a  right  to  tax  America." 
.  Oh,  inestimaUe  right !  Oh,  wonderful,  transcendent  right ! 
the  assertion  of  which  has  cost  this  country  thirteen 
provinces,  six  Islands,  one  hundred  thdusand  lives,  and 
seventy  millions  of  money !  Oh,  invaluable  right !  for 
the  sake  of  which  we  have  sacrificed  our  rank  among 
nhtions,  our  importance  abroad,  and  our  happiness  at 
home. 

Oh,  right,  more  dear  to  us  than  our  existence,  which 
has  already  cost  us  so  much,  and  which  seems  likely  to 
cost  us  our  all  !  Infatuated  man  !  miserable  and  undone 
country  !  not  to  know  that  the  claim  of  right,  without 
the  power  of  enforcing  it,  is  nugatory  and  idle.  We  have 
a  right  to  tax  America,  the  noble  lord  tells  us,  therefore 
we  onght  to  tax  America.  This  is  the  profound  logic 
wdiich  comprises  the  whole  chain  of  his  reasoning. 

Not  inferior  to  this  was  the  wisdom  of  him  who 
resolved  to  shear  the  wolf  What — shear  a  wolf !  Have 
you  considered  the  resistance,  the  cUficidty,  the  danger, 
of  the  attempt  ? 

Nd,  says  the  madman,  I  have  considered  nothing  but 
the  right.  Man  has  a  right  of  dominion  over  tlie  beasts 
of  the  forest ;  and,  therefore,  I  will  shear  the  wolf 
How  v'dnderful  that  a  nation  could  be  thus  deliXded.  ! 
But  the  noble  lord  deals  in  cheats  and  deliisions.  They 
are  the  daily  trdfjic  of  his  invention ;  and  he  will  con- 
tinue to  play  off  his  cheats  on  this  house,  so  long  as 
he  thinks  them  necessary  to  his  purpose,  and  so  long 
as  lie  has  money  enough  at  command  to  bribe  gentle- 
men to  pretend  that  they  believe  him. 

But  a  black  and  bitter  day  of  reckoning  will  surely 
come;  and  luhenever  that  day  cdmes,  I  trust  I  shall  be 
able,  by  a  parliamentary  im23eaehment,  to  bring  upon  the 
heads  of  the  duthors  of  our  calamities  the  punishment 
thev  deserve.  burke. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  137 

6.       FLOWERS. 

Spake  full  well,  in  language  quaint  and  olden, 

One  who  dwelleth  by  the  castled  FJiine, 
When  he  called  the  fioivers,  so  blue  and  golden, 
Steers,  that  in  earth's  firmament  do  shine. 

Stars  they  ctrc,  wherein  we  read  our  history, 

As  astrologers  and  seers  of  eld; 
Yet  not  so  wrapped  about  with  awful  mystery, 

Like  the  burning  stars  which  they  beheld. 

Wondrous  truths,  and  manifold  as  lubndrous, 
God  hath  written  in  those  stars  above; 

But  not  less  |  in  the  bright  flowerets  4nder  us  ] 
Stands  the  revelation  of  His  love. 

Bright  and  glorious  |  is  that  revelation 
Writ  all  over  this  great  world  of  ours; 

Making  evident  our  own  creation  | 

In  these  stars  of  earth — these  golden  flowers. 

And  the  Poet,  faithful  and  far-sdeing, 
Sees,  alike  in  stars  and  flowers,  a  part  | 

Of  the  self-same,  universal  being, 

Which  is  throbbing  |  in  his  hrciin  and  heart 

Gorgeous  flowerets  in  the  sunlight  shining ; 

Blossoms  I  flaunting  in  the  eye  of  day ; 
Tremulous  leaves,  with  soft  and  silver  lining; 

BiXd^  1  that  open  |  only  to  decay ! 

Brilliant  hopes,  all  woven  in  gorgeous  tissues, 
Flaunting  gayly  in  the  golden  light; 

Large  desires,  with  most  uncertain  issues ; 
Tender  wishes  \  blossoming  at  night  1 

These  in  flowers  and  men  |  are  more  than  seeming; 
Workings  \  are  they  |  of  the  self-same  powers, 


138  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Which  the  Poet,  in  no  idle  dreaming, 
Seeth  in  himself,  and  in  the  flowers. 

Everywhere  about  us  |  are  they  glowing — 
Some  like  stars,  to  tell  us  Spring  is  born  ; 

Others,  their  blue  eyes  |  with  tears  o'erflowing, 
Stand  like  Ruth  \  amid  the  golden  corn ; 

Not  alone  |  in  Spring's  armorial  bearing, 
And  in  Summer's  |  green  emblazoned  field, 

But  in  arms  |  of  brave  old  Autumns  wearing, 
In  the  center  |  of  his  brazen  shield ; 

Not  alone  in  meadows  |  and  green  alleys, 
On  the  mountain-top,  and  by  the  brink  | 

Of  sequestered  pools  |  in  w^oodland  valleys. 
Where  the  slaves  of  nature  |  stoop  to  drink  ; 

Not  alone  in  her  vast  dome  of  glory. 
Not  on  graves  of  bird  and  least  alone, 

But  on  old  cathedrals  \  high  and  hoary, 
On  the  tomb  of  heroes,  carved  in  stone; 

In  the  cottage  of  the  rudest  pmsant, 

In  ancestral  homes,  whose  crumbling  towers. 

Speaking  of  the  Fast  \  unto  the  Present, 
Tell  us  of  the  ancient  Games  of  Flowers; 

In  all  plhees,  then,  and  in  all  seasons, 

Flowers  expand  their  light  and  soul-like  wings. 

Teaching  us,  by  most  persuasive  reasons, 
How  akin  they  are  |  to  human  things. 

And  with  child-like,  credulous  affection. 
We  behold  their  tender  buds  expand ; 

Emblems  of  our  own  great  resurrection, 
Emblems  |  of  the  bright  |  and  letter  Ihnd. 

Longfellow. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  139 

7.      THE    SEVEN   AGES    OF   MAN. 

All  the  vjorld's  a  stage, 
And  all  the  men  and  women  merely  flayers: 
They  have  their  exits  and  their  entrances; 
And  one  man  in  his  time  plays  many  parts, 
His  acts  being  seven  hges.     At  first,  the  Infant, 
Mewling  and  puking  in  the  nurse's  arms. 
And  then,  the  whining  School-hoy,  with  his  satchel, 
And  shining  morning  face,  creeping  like  snttil 
Unwillingly  to  school.     And  then,  the  Lover, 
Sighing  like  furnace,  with  a  woful  ballad 
Made  to  his  mistress'  eyebroio.     Then  a  Soldier, 
Full  of  strange  baths,  and  bearded  like  the  pard, 
Jealous  in  honor,  sudden  and  quick  in  quarrel. 
Seeking  the  bubble  reputation 

Even  in  the  cannons  mouth.     And  then,  the  Justice, 
With  eyes  severe,  and  beard  of  formal  cut, 
Full  of  wise  saivs  and  modern  Instances; 
And  so  he  plays  his  part.     The  sixth  age  shifts 
Into  tlie  lean  and  slippered  Pantaloon, 
With  spectacles  on  nose,  and  pouch  on  side; 
His  youthful  hose,  well  saved,  a  world  too  wide 
For  his  shrunk  shank ;  and  his  big  manly  voice, 
Turning  again  toward  childish  t7^eble,  2^wes 
And  whistles  in  his  sbnncl.     Last  scene  of  dlL 
That  ends  this  strange  eventfid  history, 
Is  second  childishness  and  mere  oblivion, 
Sans  teeth,  sans  eyes,  sans  taste,  sans  everything. 


Shakespeare. 


8.      BURIAL   OF   Sill  JOHN   MOORE. 

Not  a  driim.^  \  was  heard,  not  a  funeral  nbte. 
As  his  corse  |  to  the  rd^mpart  \  we  hurried; 

Not  a  sbldier  \  discharged  his  farewell  shbt 
O'er  the  grave  |  where  our  hero  |  we  buried. 


140  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

We  buried  him  darkly,  at  dead  of  oilght, 

The  sods  with  our  bayonets  turning; 
By  the  struggling  mbonleam-s  misty  light, 

And  the  Ictiitern  \  dimly  burning. 

N"o  useless  coffin  \  inclosed  his  breast, 

Not  in  sheet  \  nor  in  shroud  |  we  wound  him; 

But  he  lay  |  like  a  warrior  taking  his  rest  \ 
With  his  martial  cloak  \  around  him. 

Few  and  short  |  were  the  prdcyers  we  said, 

And  we  spoke  not  a  word  of  sorrow. 
But  we  steadfastly  gazed  on  the  face  of  the  dead, 

And  we  bitterly  thought  of  the  morroiu. 

We  thought,  as  we  hollowed  his  narrow  bdd, 

And  smoothed  down  his  lonely  pillow, 
That  the  foe  and  the  stranger  |  would  tread  o'er  his  hdad, 

And  toe  \  far  aiudy  on  the  billow ! 

Lightly  they  '11  talk  of  the  spirit  that 's  gone, 
And  o'er  his  cold  ashes  |  tqohrdid  him, — 

But  nothing  he  '11  reck,  if  they  let  him  sleep  on  ( 
In  the  grave  |  where  a  Briton  \  has  laid  him. 

But  hd^lf  I  of  our  heavy  task  |  was  done  | 

When  the  clock  |  struck  the  hour  for  retiring ; 

And  we  heard  the  distant  and  random  gun  \ 
That  the  foe  |  was  sullenly  firing. 

Slowly  and  sadly  |  we  laid  him  down, 

From  the  field  of  his  fame  |  fresh  and  gory; 

We  carved  not  a  line,  and  we  raised  not  a  stone, 
But  left  him  |  alone  with  his  glory. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  141 


CHAPTEE  IL 

FORCE    AND    STRESS 


SECTION  I. 
FORCE    OF   VOICE. 

1.  Force  of  utterance  relates  to  the  degxee  of  loudness 
or  intensity  of  voice. 

2.  The  three  main  divisions  of  force  are  soft,  moderate, 
and  loud.  These,  for  convenience,  may  be  subdivided 
as  follows :  (1)  Very  soft  (corresponding  to  ^pianissimo 
in  music).  (2)  Soft  {piano).  (3)  Moderate  {mezzo-forte). 
(4)  Loud  {forte).     (5)  Very  loud  {fortissimo). 

3.  The  general  rule  of  force  is,  to  read  with  an 
intensity  appropriate  to  the  thoughts  or  emotion  to 
be  expressed,  and  Avith  a  power  or  strength  of  voice 
sufficient  to  fill  the  room,  so  that  every  person  in  it 
may  hear  distinctly  every  word  that  is  uttered. 

4.  Force  of  voice  must  be  stronger  in  the  school- 
room than  in  the  parlor,  and  louder  in  the  lecture-hall 
than  in  the  school-room.  If  read  to  an  assemblage  of 
a  thousand  people,  the  most  didactic  and  unimpassioned 
document  must  be  read  with  considerable  force. 

5.  Pupils  should  be  cautioned  against  attempting  any 
degree  of  force  beyond  the  compass  of  their  voices,  and 
also  against  the  conventional  school-tone  of  loudness, 
which  consists  in  raising  the  voice  to  so  high  a  pitch 
that  it  grates  on  the  ear  like  the  filing  of  a  saw. 

6.  "  The  command  of  all  degrees  of  force  of  voice," 
says  Prof  Eussell,  ''  must  evidently  be  essential  to  true 


142  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

and  natural  expression,  whether  in  reading  or  speaking. 
Appropriate  utterance  ranges  through  all  stages  of  vocal 
sound,  from  the  whisper  of  fear  and  the  murmur  of 
repose,  to  the  boldest  swell  of  vehement  declamation, 
and  the  shout  of  triumphant  courage.  But  to  give  forth 
any  one  of  these  or  the  intermediate  tones,  with  just 
and  impressive  effect,  the  organs  must  be  disciplined  by 
appropriate  exercise  and  frequent  practice.  For  every 
day's  observation  proves  to  us,  that  mere  natural  instinct 
and  animal  health,  with  all  the  aids  of  informing  intel- 
lect, and  inspiring  emotion,  and  exciting  circumstances, 
are  not  sufficient  to  produce  the  effects  of  eloquence,  or 
even  of  adequate  utterance. 

7.  ''  The  overwhelming  power  of  undisciplined  feeling 
may  not  only  impede  but  actually  prevent  the  right 
action  of  the  instruments  of  speech ;  and  the  novice  who 
has  fondly  dreamed,  in  his  closet,  that  nothing  more  is 
required  for  effective  expression  than  a  genuine  feeliug, 
finds,  to  his  discomfiture,  that  it  is  perhaps  the  very 
intensity  of  his  feeling  that  hinders  his  utterance ;  and  it 
is  not  till  experience  and  practice  have  done  their  work, 
that  he  learns  the  primary  lesson,  that  force  of  emotion 
needs  a  practiced  force  of  will  to  balance  and  regulate 
it,  and  a  disciplined  control  over  the  organs  to  give  it 
appropriate  utterance. 

8.  "  The  want  of  due  training  for  the  exercise  of 
public  reading  or  speaking  is  evinced  in  the  habitual 
undue  loudness  of  some  speakers,  and  the  inadequate 
force  of  others — the  former  subjecting  their  hearers  to 
unnecessary  pain,  and  the  latter  to  disappointment  and 
uneasiness. 

9.  ''  Force  of  utterance,  however,  has  other  claims  on 
the  attention  of  students  of  elocution,  besides  those  which 
are  involved  in  correct  expression.  It  is,  in  its  various 
gradations,  the  chief  means  of  imparting  strength  to  the 
vocal   organs,  and   power  to  the  voice   itself.     The   due 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  143 

practice  of  exercises  in  force  of  utterance,  does  for  the 
voice  what  athletic  exercise  does  for  the  muscles  of  the 
body :  it  imparts  the  two  great  conditions  of  power — 
vigor  and  pliancy." 

CAUTION". 

10.  In  drill  upon  the  following  exercises,  bear  in  mind 
the  following  direction  from  Prof.  Monroe :  "  Seek  to 
make  the  sounds  always  smooth  and  musical ;  and  never 
lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  what  is  wanted  in  every-day 
use  of  the  voice,  in  the  school-room  or  elsewhere,  is  a 
pleasant  and  natural  intonation.  The  practice  of  loud 
and  sustained  tones  is  an  excellent  means  of  improving 
the  voice ;  but  is  to  be  the  exception,  not  the  rule,  in 
ordinary  reading.  Still  less  should  a  shouting  tone  be 
used  in  conducting  a  recitation,  or  in  the  ordinary  dis- 
cipline of  a  class.  Yet  the  softest  tone  must  be  elastic 
and  full  of  life,  not  dull  and  leaden.'' 


Concert  Drill  on  Force. 

1.  Eepeat,  three  times,  the  long  vocals,  a,  e,  i,  o,  u, 
(1)  w^ith  soft  force;  (2)  with  moderate  force;  (3)  with 
loud  force. 

2.  Count  from  one  to  twenty  with  very  soft  force; 
with  soft  force  ;  with  moderate  force ;  with  loud  force ; 
with  very  loud  force. 

3.  Eepeat,  five  times,  the  word  "  all,"  beginning  with 
very  soft  force,  and  increasing  the  degree  of  force  with 
each  successive  repetition  of  the  word. 

4.  Eepeat  the  following  with  increased  force  on  each 
successive  repetition  :   "  loud,  louder,  loudest." 

5.  Eepeat,  three  times,  e,  a,  ii,  a,  5,  o,  (1)  with  soft 
force  ;   (2)  moderate  force ;   (3)  loud  force. 


144 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTIO]^. 


I.    Very  Soft  Force. 


Very  soft  force   is   appropriate   to   the   expression    of 
tenderness,  sadness,  or  peaceful  and  tranquil  feeling. 

EXAMPI.ES. 

1.      DIRGE. 

Softly  I  She  is  lying 
With  her  lips  apart. 

Softly  I  She  is  dying 
Of  a  broken  heart. 

Whisper!     She  is  going 
To  her  final  rest. 

Whisper/     Life  is  growing 
Dim  within  her  breast. 

2.       LULLABY. 

Sweet  and  low,  sweet  and  low. 

Wind  of  the  western  sea. 
Low,  low,  breathe  and  blow, 

Wind  of  the  western  sea  1 

3.       ENOCH   AllDEN. 


Eastman. 


Tenkyson. 


He  therefore  turning  softly  like  a  thief, 
Lest  the  harsh  shingle  should  grate  underfoot, 
And  feeling  all  along  the  garden- wall, 
Lest  he  should  swoon  and  tumble  and  be  found, 
Crept  to  the  gate,  and  opened  it,  and  closed, 
As  lightly  as  a  sick  man's  chamber-door. 
Behind  him,  and  came  out  upon  the  waste. 

And  there  he  would  have  knelt,  but  that  his  knees 
Were  feeble,  so  that  falling  prone  he  dug 
His  fingers  into  the  wet  earth,  and  prayed. 

Tennyson. 


IL     Soft  or  Subdued  Force. 
Soft  force  differs  from  very  soft  only  in  degree. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  145 

EXAMPLES. 

1.      TIME. 

Touch  us  gently,  Time ! 

Let  us  glide  adown  thy  stream 
Gently,  as  we  sometimes  glide 

Througli  a  quiet  dream. 
Humble  voyagers  are  we, 

O'er  life's  dim,  unsounded  sea, 
Seeking  only  some  calm  clime; 

Touch  us  gently,  Time !        baery  coenwall. 

2.      DEATH   OF   THE    OLD   YEAR. 

Full  knee-deep  lies  the  winter-snow. 

And  the  wintry  winds  are  w^earily  sighing, 

Toll  ye  the  church-bell,  sad  and  slow. 

And  tread  softly  and  speak  low. 
For  the  old  year  lies  a-dying. 

Old  year,  you  must  not  die.  tennyson. 

3.       THE   DEATH-BED. 

We  watched  her  breathing  through  the  night, 

Her  breath  in  o-  soft  and  low, 
As  in  her  breast  the  wave  of  life 

Kept  heaving  to  and  fro. 
Our  very  hopes  belied  our  fears, 

Our  fears  our  hopes  belied — 
We  thought  her  dying  when  she  slept, 

And  sleeping  when  she  died.  hood. 

4.      THE   FAERIE   QUEEN. 

Eftsoons  they  heard  a  most  melodious  sound 
Of  all  that  might  delight  a  dainty  ear. 
Such  as,  at  once,  might  not  on  living  ground, 
Save  in  this  paradise,  be  heard  elsewhere : 
Eight  hard  it  was  for  wight  wdiich  did  it  liear 

10 


146  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

To  weet  what  manner  music  that  might  be, 
For  all  that  pleasing  is  to  living  ear 
Was  there  consorted  in  one  harmony; 
Birds,  voices,  instruments,  winds,  waters,  all  agree. 

Spenser. 
5.      THE  ARSENAL. 

Down  the  dark  future,  through  long  generations. 
The  echoing  sounds  grow  fainter  and  then  cease ; 

And  like  a  bell,  with  solemn,  sweet  vibrations, 

I  hear  once  more  the  voice  of  Christ  say,'  ''  Peace ! " 


Longfellow. 


6.      THE   LOST   CHORD. 

Seated  one  day  at  the  organ, 
I  was  weary  and  ill  at  ease. 

And  my  fingers  wandered  idly 
Over  the  noisy  keys. 

I  do  not  know  what  I  was  playing, 
Or  what  I  was  dreaming  then ; 

But  I  struck  one  chord  of  music. 
Like  the  sound  of  a  great  Amen ! 

It  flooded  the  crimson  twilight. 
Like  the  close  of  an  angel's  psalm. 

And  it  lay  on  my  fevered  spirit. 
With  a  touch  of  infinite  calm. 

It  quieted  pain  and  sorrow, 
Like  love  overcoming  strife ; 

It  seemed  the  harmonious  echo 
From  our  discordant  life. 

It  linked  all  perplexed  meanings 

Into  one  perfect  peace. 
And  trembled  away  into  silence, 

As  if  it  were  loath  to  cease. 


Adelaide  Proctor. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  147 

III.     MoDEEATE  Force. 

Moderate  force  is  the  prevailing  tone  in  the  reading 
of  unimpassioned  narrative,  descriptive,  or  didactic  com- 
position, in  a  small  room,  or  to  a  small  number  of 
persons.  It  is  the  degree  of  force  used  in  conversation. 
The  characteristic  quality  of  moderate  force  is  "pure 
tone,"  and  the  stress,  ''unimpassioned  radical." 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  There  was  a  sound  of  revelry  by  night. 

2.  What  constitutes  a  state  ? 

3.  Scrooge  never  painted  out  old  Marley's  name. 

4  The  history  of  England  is  emphatically  the  history 
of  progress. 

5.  The  eyes  of  men  converse  as  much  as  their  tongues. 

6.  Spake  full  well  in  language  quaint  and  olden. 

One  who  dwelleth  by  the  castled  Ehine, 
When  he  called  the  flowers,  so  blue  and  golden. 
Stars,  that  in  earth's  firmament  do  shine. 

7.   The  way  was  long,  the  wind  was  cold. 
The  minstrel  was  infirm  and  old. 

8.   I  met  a  little  cottage  girl. 

She  was  eight  years  old,  she  said ; 
Her  hair  was  thick  with  many  a  curl, 
That  clustered  round  her  head. 

9.    Blessings  on  thee,  little  man. 
Barefoot  boy  with  cheeks  of  tan, 
With  thy  turned-up  pantaloon. 
And  thy  merry  whistled  tune. 

10.    I  wrote  some  lines  once  on  a  time 
In  wondrous  merry  mood. 
And  thought,  as  usual,  men  would  say 
They  were  exceeding  good. 


148  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

They  were  so  queer,  so  very  queer, 

I  laughed  as  I  would  die; 
Albeit,  in  the  general  way, 

A  sober  man  am  I. 

11.    Listen,  my  children,  and  you  shall  hear 
Of  the  midnight  ride  of  Paul  Eevere, 

On  the  eighteenth  of  April,  in  seventy-five; — 
Hardly  a  man  is  now  alive 
"Who  remembers  that  famous  day  and  year. 

12.   Around  I  see  the  powers  that  be ; 

I  stand  by  Empire's  primal  springs; 
And  princes  meet  in  every  street, 

And  hear  the  tread  of  uncrowned  kings ! 

13.  Mrs.  Siddons  once  had  a  pupil  who  was  practicing 
for  the  stage.  The  lesson  was  upon  the  "part"  of  a 
young  girl  whose  lover  had  deserted  her.  The  rendering 
did  not  please  that  Queen  of  Tragedy,  and  she  said: 
"Think  how  you  would  feel  under  the  circumstances. 
What  would  you  do  if  your  lover  were  to  run  off  and 
leave  you  ? "  "I  would  look  out  for  another  one,"  said 
that  philosophic  young  lady;  and  Mrs.  Siddons,  with  a 
gesture  of  intense  disgust,  cried  out,  "Leave  me!"  and 
would  never  give  her  another  lesson. 

14.      HEADING  AS   AN    ACCOMPLISHMENT. 

We  had  rather  have  a  child  return  to  us  from  school 
a  first-rate  reader,  than  a  first-rate  performer  on  the 
piano-forte.  We  should  feel  that  we  had  a  far  better 
pledge  for  tlie  intelligence  and  talent  of  our  child.  The 
accomplishment,  in  its  perfection,  would  give  more 
pleasure.  The  voice  of  song  is  not  sweeter  than  the 
voice  of  eloquence.  And  there  may  be  eloquent  readers, 
as  well  as  eloquent  speakers. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  149 

IV.    Loud  Force. 

Loud  force  is  the  tone  used  to  express  courage,  bold- 
ness, defiance,  anger,  grandeur,  and  sublimity.  It  is 
used  by  the  public  speaker  in  addressing  a  large  audi- 
ence, or  when  speaking  under  the  sway  of  strong 
emotion. 

This  degree  of  force  requires  full  and  deep  breathing, 
and  a  vigorous  use  of  the  vocal  organs. 

The  middle  pitch  is  the  appropriate  key  of  loud  force. 
A  high  pitch  weakens  the  effect  of  forcible  reading  or 
declamation. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  Joy !     Joy !    -Shout,  shout  aloud  for  joy. 

2.  Hark  to  the  brazen  blare  of  the  bugle ! 
Hark  to  the  rolling  clatter  of  the  drums. 

3.  Not  in  A^ain   the   distance   beacons.     Forward,  for- 

ward, let  us  range; 
Let  the  great   world   spin   forever  down  the  ring- 
ing grooves  of  change. 

4.     Alexander's  feast. 
Now  strike  the  golden  lyre  again; 
A  louder  yet,  and  yet  a  louder  strain. 
Break  his  bands  of  sleep  asunder. 
And  rouse  him,  like  a  rattling  peal  of  thunder. 

Dbyden. 
5.     revenge. 

And  longer  had  she  sung — but,  with  a  frown. 

Revenge  impatient  rose. 
He  threw  his  blood-stained  sword  in  thunder  down, 

And,  with  a  withering  look. 

The  war-denouncing  trumpet  took, 
And  blew  a  blast,  so  loud  and  dread. 
Were  ne'er  prophetic  sounds  so  full  of  woe : 

And  ever  and  anon,  he  beat 

The  doublin2^  drum  with  furious  heat.       collins. 


150  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

6.       MILTON'S    *' PARADISE   LOST." 

Now  storming  fury  rose, 
And  clamor-  such  as  heard  in  heaven  till  ndio 
Was  never ;  arms  on  armor  clashing,  brayed 
Horrible  dlscojxl,  and  the  madding  wheels 
Of  brazen  chariots  raged :  dire  was  the  noise 
Of  conflict;  overhead  the  dismal  hiss 
Of  fiery  darts  in  flaming  volleys  flew, 
And  flying  vaulted  either  host  with  fire. 
So  under  fiery  cope,  together,  rushed 
Both  battles  main,  with  ruinous  assdult 
And  inextinguishable  rage.     All  heaven 
Eesounded;  and  had  earth  been  then,  all  eartli, 
Had  to  her  center  shook.     What  wonder?  where 
Millions  of  fierce  encountering  angels  fought 
On  either  side,  the  least  of  whom  could  wield 
These  elements^  and  arm  him  with  the  force 
Of  all  their  regions. 

7.      THE   BELLS. 

Hear  the  loud  alarum  bells — 
Brazen  bells  ! 
What  a  tale  of  ter7''or,  now,  tlieir  turbulency  tells ! 
In  the  startled  ear  of  -night 
How  they  scream  out  their  affright ! 
Too  much  horrified  to  speak. 
They  can  only  shriek,  shriek, 
Out  of  tune, 
In  the  clamorous  appealing  to  the  mercy  of  the  fire, 
In  a  mad  expostulation  with  the  deaf  and  frantic  fire. 
Leaping  higher,  higher^  higher, 
.  With  a  desperate  desire. 
And  a  resolute  endeavor, 
HoiOj  noio  to  sit  or  never 
By  the  side  of  the  pale-faced  moon!         poe. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  151 

V.    Very  Loud  or  Declamatory  Force. 

Very  loud  force  jjievails  in  oratorical  declamation 
before  large  audiences.  It  is  also  heard  in  the  tones  of 
anger,  of  passion,  of  command,  in  calling  or  shouting, 
and  in  intensely  dramatic  reading. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.   N"ow  for  the  fight !   now  for  the  cannon  peal, 

Forward !   through  blood   and  toil,  and  cloud,  and 
fire ! 
Glorious  the  slibnt,  the  shbchy  the  crash  of  steel, 
The  volley's  roll,  the  rocket's  blasting  spire. 

2.  To  arms !  they  come !  the  Grfeek  1  the  Grfeek ! 

3.  Liberty !     Freedom  !     Tyranny  is  dead. 

4.  Thy  threats,  thy  mercy  I  defy, 

I  give  thee  in  thy  teeth  the  lie. 

5.  He  raised  a  shout  as  lie  drew  on 
Till  all  the  welkin  rang  again: 

"Elizabeth!  Elizabeth!" 

6.   Erom  every  hill,  by  every  sea, 

In  shouts  proclaim  the  great  decree, 
''All  chains  are  hurst,  all  men  are  free!'' 
Hurrah,  hurrah,  hurrah  ! 

7.       SPARTACUS   TO   THE   GLADIATOIIS. 

[Radical  and  vanishing  stress,  and  strongly  marked  circumflex  in- 
flections.] 

Ye  stand  here  now  like  giants,  as  ye  hre.  The  strength 
of  hrdss  is  in  your  toughened  sinews;  but  to-morrow 
some  Ebman  Adonis,  breathing  sweet  perfume  from  his 
cHrly  locks,  shall  with  liis  lily  fingers  pdt  your  red 
hrd.wn,  and  bet  his  sesterces  upon  your  Wood.  Hark ! 
hear  ye  yon  lion  roaring  in  his  deri  .^  'T  is  three  days 
since  he  tasted  flesh ;   but  to-morrow  he  shall  break  his 


152  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

fast  upon  yoiXrs,  and  a  dainty  meal  for  liim  ye  will  he. 
If  ye  are  beasts,  then  stand  here  like  fat  oxen,  waiting 
for  the  htitchers  knife  I  If  ye  are  men,  follow  me  I 
Strike  down  yon  gitdrcl,  gain  the  inoiintain  passes,  and 
thhe  do  bloody  iubA\  as  did  your  sires  at  old  Ther- 
mbpylce !  Is  Sjmrta  dead  ?  Is  the  old  Grecian  spirit 
frozen  in  your  veins,  that  you  do  crouch  and  cower  like 
a  belabored  hound  beneath  his  master's  lash  ?  Oh,  com- 
rades !  ivdrriors !  Thrdcians  !  if  we  must  fight,  let  us 
fight  for  ourselves  !  If  we  must  slaughter,  let  us  slaughter 
our  O2opressors !  If  we  must  die,  let  it  be  under  the 
clear    shy,   by    the    bright    waters,   in    noble,    honorable 

battie.  Kellogg. 

8.     Catiline's  defiance. 

Conscript  fathers, 
I  do  not  rise  to  waste  the  night  in  ivords : 
Let  that  plehlian  talk ;  't  is  not  my  trade ; 
But  here  I  stand  for  right! — Let  him  show  proofs! 
For  Roman  right;  though  none,  it  seems,  dare  stand 
To  take  their  share  with  me.     Ay,  cluster  thfere  ! 
Cling  to  your  master,  judges,  Eomans,  slaves ! 
His  charge  is  false.     I  dare  him  to  his  proofs. 

Ceoly. 
9.       rJCIIELIEU. 

Who  spake  of  life? 
I  bade  thee  grasp  tliat  treasure  as  thine  honor — 
A  jeioel  worth  whole  hecatomhs  of  lives ! 
Begone  !   redeem  thine  honor  1     Back  to  Marion — 
Or  Bdradas — or  Orleans — track  the  robber — 
Regain  the  packet — or  crawl  on  to  age — 
Age  and  gray  hairs  like  mine — and  know  thou  'st  lost 
That  which  had  made  thee  great  and  saved  thy  country. 
See  me  not  till  tliou  'st  bought  the  right  to  seek  me. 
Aivdy !     Xay,  cheer  thee  !  thou  hast  not  fail'd  yet — 
There  's  no  such  word  as  fail.  bulwer. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  153 

10.       FREEDOM. 

8.  If  I  could  stand  for  a  moment  npon  one  of  your 
high  mountain  tops,  far  above  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
civilized  world,  and  there  might  s^e,  coming  lip,  one 
after  another,  the  bravest  and  wisest  of  the  ancient 
warriors,  and  statesmen,  and  kings,  and  monarchs,  and 
[)ri^sts ;  and  if,  as  they  came  lip,  I  might  be  permitted 
to  ask  from  them  an  expression  of  opinion  upon  such 
a  case  as  this,  with  a  common  voice  and  in  thunder  tones, 
reverberating  through  a  thousand  valleys,  and  echoing 
down  the  ages,  they  would  cry  :  ""  Liberty,  Freedom,  the 
TJniverscd  Brotherhood  of  Man!''  /join  that  shout;  I 
swell  that  anthem ;  I  echo  that  praise  forever,  and 
for  evermore. 

11.      THE  WAR   INEVITABLE. 

They  tell  us,  sir,  that  we  are  weak — unable  to  coj)e 
with  so  formidable  an  adversary.  But  when  shall  we 
be  stronger?  Will  it  be  the  next  iceeh,  or  the  next 
year?  Will  it  be  when  we  are  totally  disarmed,  and 
when  a  British  guard  shall  be  stationed  in  every  house  ? 
Shall  w^e  gather  strength  by  irresolution  and  inaction  ? 
Shall  we  acquire  the  means  of  effectual  |  resistance  by 
lying  supinely  on  our  hacks,  and  hugging  the  delusive 
phantom  of  hope,  until  our  enemies  shall  have  bound  us 
hdnd  and  foot  ?  Sir,  we  are  not  weak,  if  we  make  a 
proper  nse  of  those  means  which  the  God  of  nature 
hath  placed  in  our  power.  It  is  in  vain,  sir,  to  extenu- 
ate the  matter.  Gentlemen  may  cry  peace,  peace  I — but 
there  is  no  peace.  The  war  is  actually  hegiln  I  The 
next  gale  that  sweeps  from  the  north  will  bring  to  our 
ears  the  clash  of  resounding  arms!  Our  hrethren  are 
already  in  the  fifeld  !  Why  stand  we  here  Idle  ?  What 
is  it  that  gentlemen  wish  ?  What  would  they  have  ? 
Is  life  so  cUar,  or  peace  so  swlet,  as  to  be  purchased  at 
the   price  of  chains  and  slavery?    ForUd  it,  Almighty 


154  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

God  !     I   know   not  what   course  others   may  take ;   bat 
as  for  me,  give  me  liberty,  or  give  me  death  ! 

Patrick  Henry. 

VI.    Eecapitulation  of  Force. 

1.  Force  must  he  regulated  hy  the  thought  or  feeling  to 
he  exp^essed. 

2.  Soft  force  "prevails  in  the  expression  of  iieacefnl 
thought,  of  sentiment,  of  tranquillity,  and  of  suppressed 
emotion. 

3.  Moderate  force  is  the  natural  tone  of  conversation 
and   of  narrative,    descrijotive,    and   didactic   composition. 

4.  Loud  force  p)revails  in  the  expression  of  anger,  pas- 
sion, suhlvmity,  command,  and  strong  feeling. 

5.  Very  loud  force  prevails  in  calling  and  shouting ; 
in  cries  of  cdarm,  fear,  and  terror ;  and  in  intense  dra- 
matic expression. 

Examples  of  Force. 

VERY  SOFT. 

Low,  low,  breathe  and  blow,  wind  of  the  western  sea. 

SOFT. 

How  sweet  the  moonlight  sleeps  upon  this  bank. 

MODERATE. 

Marley  was  dead,  to  begin  with. 

LOUD. 

Hear  the  loud  alarum  bells — brazen  bells  ! 
How  they  clang,  and  clash,  and  roar. 

VERY  LOUD. 

Liberty  !   freedom  !     Tyranny  is  dead. 

Require  each  pupil  io  select,  write  otit,  and  read  in  the  class,  a 
similar  set  of  quoted  illustrations. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  155 

SECTION  II. 

STBUSS    OF    VOICE. 

Stress  denotes  the  manner  of  applying  volume  of  voice 
to  single  words  or  sounds.  The  elocutionary  divisions 
of  stress  are : 

1.  Eadical  >  4.     Thorough  = 

2.  Median  <>  5.     Compound  X 

3.  Vanishing  ^  6.     Intermittent  ^^::^:^ 

The  radical  and  the  median  stress  are  the  most  im- 
portant and  the  most  used  of  these  divisions;  and  to 
these  the  attention  of  school  readers  should  be  chiefly 
directed.  The  other  forms  of  stress  mainly  concern  the 
special  elocutionist  or  the  actor;  and  may,  therefore,  be 
treated  very  briefly. 

I.     EADICAL  STEESS. 

1.  In  radical  stress,  the  force  strikes  abruptly  upon 
the  radix,  or  beginning  of  a  word  or  a  sound.  It  cor- 
responds to  the  diminuendo  in  music. 

2.  It  may  be  illustrated  by  exploding  the  full  force 
of  the  voice  upon  the  initial  vowel  in  the  following 
words  :   (1)  ale,  arm,  all,  5ld,  ooze.     (2)  at,  end,  in,  on,  up. 

3.  Of  this  stress,  Dr.  Eush  says :  "  There  are  so  few 
speakers  able  to  give  a  radical  stress  with  this  moment- 
ary burst,  and  therefore  so  few  who  may  comprehend 
the  mere  description  of  it,  that  I  must  draw  an  illus- 
tration from  the  effort  of  coughing.  A  single  impulse 
of  coughing  is  not  in  all  points  exactly  like  the  abrupt 
voice  on  syllables,  for  that  single  impulse  is  a  forcing 
out  of  almost  all  the  breath,  which  is  not  the  case  in 
syllabic  utterance ;  yet  if  the  tonic  element  be  employed 
as  the  vocality  of  coughing,  its  abrupt  opening  will  truly 
represent  the  function  of  radical  stress,  when  used  in 
discourse. 


156  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

4.  "It  is  this  stress  which  draws  the  cutting  edge  of 
words  across  the  ear,  and  startles  even  stupor  into  atten- 
tion ;  this,  w^hich  lessens  the  fatigue  of  listening,  and 
out-voices  the  murmur  and  unruly  stir  of  an  assembly ; 
and  a  sensibility  to  this,  through  a  general  instinct  of 
the  animal  ear,  which  gives  authority  to  the  groom,  and 
makes  the  horse  submissive  to  his  angry  accent. 

5.  "Besides  the  fullness,  loudness,  and  abruptness  of 
the  radical  stress,  when  employed  for  distinct  articula- 
tion, the  tonic  sound  itself  should  be  a  pure  vocality. 
When  mixed  with  aspiration,  it  loses  the  brilliancy  that 
serves  to  increase  the  impressive  effect  of  the  explosive 
force." 

Distinctions  of  Eadical  Stress. 

1.  Eadical  stress  may  be  distinguished  as  linimioas- 
stoned  and  impassioned. 

2.  The  unimpassioned  radical  is  used  in  narrative, 
descriptive,  and  didactic  reading,  to  give  a  clear,  dis- 
tinct, energetic  style  of  expression.  The  impassioned 
radical  is  the  strong,  full,  abrupt  utterance  which  char- 
acterizes the  voice  when  under  the  influence  of  strong 
passions,  such  as  anger,  hatred,  etc.  It  is  the  stress  of 
authoritative  command,  of  strength,  and  of  power. 

I.     The  Unimpassioned  Eadical. 

This  form  of  the  radical  stress  is  generally  combined 
wuth  moderate  force  and  middle  pitch.  In  the  unim- 
passioned radical  the  vowel  and  liquid  sounds  are  cut 
short  as  in  the  staccato  movement  in  music. 

This  stress  is  characteristic  of  vivacity,  gayety,  humor, 
and  of  clear,  distinct,  and  definite  statement. 

Unimpassioned  Eadical  Drill. 
1.   Eepeat  rapidly  four  times,  with  the  falling  inflec- 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  157 

tiQn,   the   short   vowel   sounds,    a,   e,   i,   o,   u;    tlie   long 
vocals,  a,  e,  I,  o,  u. 

2.  Count  from  one  to  twenty  with  moderate  force 
and  falling  inflection,  cutting  short  the  words  as  in 
staccato  movement. 

3.  Is  this  a  time  to  be  gloomy  and  sad. 

When  our  mother  nature  laughs  around? 
When  even  the  deep  blue  heavens  look  glad, 

And  gladness  breathes  from  the  blossoming  ground  ? 

4.  Hear  the  sledges,  with  the  bells — silver  bells. 
What  a  world  of  merriment  their  melody  foretells ; 

How  they  tinkle,  tinkle,  tinkle. 
In  the  icy  air  of  night ! 

Examples  of  Unimpassioned  Eadical. 

1.    Bob-o'-link,  bob-o*4ink, 
Spink,  spank,  spink; 
Chee !  chee  !  chee  ! 

2.    Sometimes,  wdth  secure  delight. 
The  upland  hamlets  will  invite, 
When  the  merry  bells  ring  round, 
And  the  jocund  rebecs  sound 
To  many  a  youth  and  many  a  maid. 
Dancing  in  the  checkered  shade. 

3.      IIUDICUAS. 

In  mathematics  he  was  greater 
Than  Tycho  Brahe  or  Erra  Pater; 
Eor  he,  by  geometric  scale, 
Could  take  the  size  of  pots  of  ale; 
Eesolve  by  sines  and  tangents,  straight, 
If  bread  or  butter  wanted  weight; 
And  wisely  tell  w^hat  hour  o'  th'  day 
The  clock  does  strike,  by  algebra. 


158  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

4.      RHYME   OF   THE    EAIL. 

Singing  through  the  forests, 

Eattling  over  ridges, 
Shooting  under  arches, 

Eumbling  over  bridges; 
Whizzing  through  the  mountains, 

Buzzing  o'er  the  vale — 
Bless  me !    this  is  pleasant, 

Eidincr  on  the  rail! 


There's  a  dance  of  leaves  in  that  aspen  hbioer, 
There's  a  titter  of  winds  in  that  beechen  trie, 

There 's  a  smile  on  the  fruit,  and  a  smile  on  the  flower , 
And  a  Imigli  from  the  hrooh  that  runs  to  the  sea  ! 

Bryant. 

6.      SUMMER. 

And  what  is  so  rare  as  a  day  in  June  ? 

Then,  if  ever,  come  perfect  days ; 
Then  Heaven  tries  the  earth  if  it  be  in  tune, 

And  over  it  softly  her  warm  ear  lays ; 
Whether  we  look  or  whether  we  listen. 
We  hear  life  murmur  oi-  see  it  Gflisten ; 
Every  clod  feels  a  stir  of  miglit, 

An  instinct  within  it  that  reaches  and  towers, 
And,  groping  blindly  above  it  for  light. 

Climbs  to  a  soul  in  OTass  and  flowers. 


Lowell. 


7.       S#A-WEED. 

When  descends  on  the  Atlantic 

The  gigantic 
Storm-wind  of  the  equinox, 
Landward  in  his  wrath  he  scourges 

The  toiling  surges. 
Laden  with  sea-w^eed  from  the  rocks ; 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION".  159 

Ever  drifting,  drifting,  drifting 

On  the  shining 
Currents  of  the  restless  main; 
Till  in  sheltered  coves,  and  reaches 

Of  sandy  beaches, 

All   have   found   repose    again.  Longfellow. 

8.       THE    DRUM. 

At  a  distance,  down  the  street,  making  music  with  their 

feet. 
Came  the  soldiers   from  the  wars,  all   embellished  with 

their  scars. 
To  the  tapping  of  a  drum,  of  a  drum ; 
To  the  pounding  and  the  sounding  of  a  drum ! 
Of  a  drum,  of  a  drum,  of  a  drum  !   drum,  drum,  drum  ! 

9.      COMPENSATION. 

Experienced  men  of  the  world  know  very  w^ell  that  it 
is  best  to  pay  scot  and  lot  as  they  go  along,  and  that 
a  man  often  pays  dear  for  a  small  frugality.  The  bor- 
rower runs  in  his  own  debt.  Has  a  man  gained  any- 
thing who  has  received  a  hundred  favors  and  rendered 
none  ?  Has  he  gained  by  borrowing,  through  indolence 
or  cunning,  his  neighbor's  wares,  or  horses,  or  money  ? 
There  arises  on  the  deed  the  instant  acknowledgment 
of  benefit  on  the  one  part,  and  of  debt  on  the  other; 
that  is,  of  superiority  and  inferiority.  The  transaction 
remains  in  the  memory  of  himself  and  his  neighbor; 
and  every  new  transaction  alters,  according  to  its  nature, 
their  relation  to  each  other.  He  may  soon  come  to  see 
that  he  had  better  have  broken  his  own  bones  than  to 
have  ridden  in  his  neighbor's  coach,  and  that  "the 
highest  price  he  can  pay  for  a  thing  is  to  ask  for  it." 

Emerson. 


160  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

II.     The  Impassioned  Eadical. 

1.  The  impassioned  radical  stress  falls  on  the  ear 
with  abrupt,  explosive  force,  like  the  beat  of  a  bass 
drum.  A  good  illustration  of  extreme  radical  stress  is 
afforded  by  loud,  explosive  laughter, 

2.  The  impassioned  radical  marks  positive  assertion, 
strono:  determination,  and  authoritative  command.  It 
is  the  abrupt  stress  of  courage,  boldness,  anger,  and 
hatred. 

3.  The  absence  of  radical  stress,  so  common  in  un- 
trained readers  and  speakers,  indicates  feebleness,  inde- 
cision, and  confusion  or  timidity.  A  lack  of  radical 
stress  may  kill  the  most  impressive  sentiments,  or  may 
transform  a  gay,  joyous,  lively  piece  of  composition 
into  dull,  joyless,  or  even  melancholy  expression. 

4.  Carried  to  excess,  however,  the  radical  stress  be- 
comes the  mark  of  egotism,  dogmatism,  and  undue  self- 
assertion.  It  often  characterizes  the  rant  of  the  stump 
speaker  who  "tears  a  passion  into  tatters." 

5.  There  is  little  tendency  in  school  to  excess  of 
radical  stress :  on  the  contrary,  there  is  generally  a  lack 
of  it. 

Impassioned  Eadical  Stress  Drill. 

1.  Eepeat,  three  times,  with  abrupt,  explosive  force, 
the  long  vocals,  a,  e,  I,  o,  ii. 

2.  Eepeat,  in  the  same  manner,  the  following :  ale, 
arm,  all,  ooze. 

3.  Eepeat,  four   times,  with   explosive   laughter:    ha! 

ha !   ha  !  ho  !  ho  !  ho  !  haw  1  haw  !  haw  ! 

4.  Tramp,  tramp,  tramp,  the  boys  are  marching. 

5.  Awake !  arise  !  or  be  forever  fallen ! 

6.    TJ^y  clrciwhridge,  groom,  what,  warder,  ho! 
Let  the  poi'tcullis  fall. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  161 

7.  To  arms!   to  arms!  to  arms!   they  cry. 

8.  Shoulder    arms!    forward     march!    halt!     Eight 
about  face,  march  ! 

9.  Hold!   hold!   for  your  lives! 

10.  Back  to  thy  punishment,  false  fugitive. 

11.  He  was  struck,  struck  like  a  clog. 

12.    Up!  comrades,  up!  in  Eokeby's  halls 
Ne*er  be  it  said  our  courage  falls. 

13.  Send  out  more  horses!   skirr  the  country  round. 

Awake !     Aw^ake ! 

14.  Einf?  the  alarum  bell !     Murder  and  treason ! 
Malcolm !  awake  !     Malcolm !     Banquo ! 

15.      THE    CLANSMAN   TO    HIS   CHIEF. 

'' Macldine!   youVe  scourged  me  like  a  hmind ; — 
You  should  have  struck  me  to  the  grbuncl. 
You  should  have  played  a  chief tciins  part; — 
You  should  have  stabbed  me  to  the  heart. 

''You  should  have  crushed  me  unto  death; 
But  here  I  sv^cdr  with  living  breath, 
That  for  this  ivrong  which  you  have  done, 
I  '11  wreak  my  vengeance  on  your  sbii. 

"  I  scdrn  forgiveness,  haughty  man ! 
You've  Injured  me  before  the  clan; 
And  naught  but  blood  shall  wipe  away 
The  shame  I  have  endumd  to-day."  mackay. 

16.      ALEXANDllA. 

Welcome  her,  thunders  of  fort  and  of  flfeet ! 

WUcome  her,  thundering  cheer  of  the  street ! 

Welcome  her,  all  things  useful  and  swfeet; 

Scatter  the  blbssoms  under  her  ffeet ! 

Br^ak,  happy  Iknd,  into  earlier  flowers ! 

Make  music,  0  bird,  in  the  new  budded  bowers ! 

11 


162  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Blazon  your  mottoes  |  of  blessing  and  prayer ! 
Welco77ie  her,  ivelcome  her,  all  that  is  ours ! 
Warble,  0  bugle ;   and  trumpet,  bl^re ! 
Flags,  flutter  out  |  upon  turrets  and  towers  ! 
Flames,  on  the  windy  headland  flare  ! 
Utter  your  jubilee,  steeple  and  spire  ! 
Clash,  ye  hells,  in  the  merry  March  air! 
Flash,  ye  cities,  in  rivers  of  ftre ! 
Eush  to  the  roof,  sudden  rocket,  and  higher  | 
Melt  into  the  stars  for  the  land's  desire! 

Tknnyson. 

17.       THE    OLD    CONTINENTALS. 

And  grummer,  grummer,  grummer, 
Eolled  the  roll  of  the  drummer, 
Through  the  morn  ! 

And  louder,  louder,  louder, 
Cracked  the  loud  gunpowder, 
Cracked  amain ! 

Then  higher,  higher,  higher, 
Burned  the  old-fashioned  fire 
Through  the  ranks  ! 

And  rounder,  rounder,  EOUNDEE, 
Roared  the  iron  six-pounder, 
Hurling  death  ! 

18.      THE    BRAZEN    BELLS. 

Hear  the  loud  alarum  bells, — 
Brazen  bells ! 
What  a  tale  of  terror,  now,  their  turbulency  tells ! 
In  the  startled  ear  of  night 
How  they  scream  out  their  affright! 
Too  much  horrified  to  speak. 
They  can  only  shriek,  shriek, 
Out  of  tune, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  163 

In  the  clamorous  appealing  to  the  mercy  of  the  fire, 
In  a  mad  expostulation  with  the  deaf  and  frantic  fire 
Leaping  higher,  higher,  higher, 
With  a  desperate  desire, 
And  a  resolute  endeavor, 
Now — now  to  sit  or  never. 
By  the  side  of  the  pale-face  moon. 
0  the  bells,  bells,  bells. 
What  a  tale  their  terror  tells 
Of  despair! 
How  they  clang  and  clash  and  roar  ! 
What  a  horror  they  outpour 
On  the  bosom  of  the  palpitating  air! 
Yet  the  ear,  it  fully  knows, 
By  the  twanging 
And  the  clanging, 
How  the  danger  ebbs  and  flows; 
Yet  the  ear  distinctly  tells. 
In  the  jangling 
And  the  wrangling, 
How  the  danger  sinks  and  swells, 
By  the  sinking  or  the  swelling  in  the  anger  of  the  bells — 
Of  the  bells— 
Of  the  bells,  bells,  bells,  bells. 
Bells,  bells,  bells — 
In  the  clamor  and  clangor  of  the  bells!  poe. 

19.       INDEPENDENCE. 

Bead  this  Declaration  |  at  the  head  of  the  hrmy: 
every  sv:ord  \  will  be  drawn  from  its  scbhlardy  and  the 
solemn  vow  |  uttered,  to  maintdin  it,  or  to  perish  |  on 
the  bed  of  honor.  Publish  it  from  the  jpulpit ;  religion  \ 
will  appi^ove  it,  and  the  love  of  religious  Uherty  \  will 
cling  round  it,  resolved  |*  to  stand  with  it,  or  fall  with 
it.  Send  it  to  the  ^:)?^&Z'ZC  hhlls ;  proclaim  it  thfere ;  let 
thhn  I  hear  it,  who  heard  the  first  roar  |  of  the  enemy's 


164  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

cdnnan;  let  tMm  \  see  it,  who  saw  their  hrdtliers  and 
their  s6ns  \  fall  on  the  field  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  in  the 
streets  of  Lexington  and  Chncord,  and   the  venj  walls  \ 

will    cry    out  |  in   its   SUppdrt.  Webster. 

20.      FEEEDOM. 

Many  years  long  gone,  I  took  my  stand  by  Free- 
dom, and  where  \  in  my  earliest  youth  |  my  feet  \  were 
planted,  there  \  my  mdnhood  \  and  my  hge  shall  march. 
And  for  dne,  I  am  not  ashamed  of  Freedom.  I  know 
her  phwer,  I  rejoice  \  in  her  majesty.  I  walk  \  beneath 
her  banner,  I  gl(^ry  \  in  her  strength.  I  have  seen  F7'ee- 
do7)i  I  in  history,  again  and  aghin ;  with  mine  own 
eyes  \  I  have  watched  her  |  again  and  again  |  struck 
ddion  I  on  a  hundred  chosen  fields  of  hkttle. 

I  have  seen  her  friends  \  fly  frbm  her ;  I  have  seen 
foes  I  gather  round  her ;  I  have  seen  them  |  hind  her  to 
the  sthke ;  I  have  seen  them  give  her  ashes  to  the 
winds — regdthering  them  again  |  that  they  might  scatter 
them  I  yet  more  widely ;  but  when  her  foes  |  turned  to 
exult y  I  have  seen  her  aghin  \  meet  them  |  face  to  fhce, 
resplendent  in  complete  steely  and  brandishing  |  in  her 
strong  right  hand  \  a  flaming  sword,  red  with  insicfler- 
ahle  light. 

And  I  take  churage.  The  people  \  gather  round  her. 
The  Genius  of  America  \  will  at  last  |  lead  her  sons  to 
Freedom.  baker. 

21.       PERORATION   OF   BUZFUZ  : — BARBELL  VS.    PICKWICK. 

[The  following  is  an  example  of  the  bombastic  style  of  ranting  oratory, 
which  is  a  burlesque  of  true  art.'] 

Of  this  man  I  will  say  little.  The  subject  presents 
but  few  attractions ;  and  1,  gentlemen,  am  not  the  mhn, 
nor  are  yoiLi,  gentlemen,  the  men,  to  delight  in  the  con- 
templation of  revolting  heartlessness,  and  of  systematic 
vlllany.     I  say  sijstemdtic  villany,  gentlemen;  and  when 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  165 

I  say  syste7ndtu  villainy,  let  me  tell  the  defendant  Pick- 
wick, if  he  be  in  court,  as  I  am  informed  he  ^5,  that  it 
would  have  been  more  decent  in  him,  more  becoming,  if 
he  had  stopped  awdij.  Let  me  tell  him,  further,  that  a 
counsel,  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  is  neither  to  be 
intimidated,  nor  bullied,  nor  put  dbivn ;  and  that  any 
attempt  to  do  either  the  one  or  the  other  will  recoil  on 
the  head  of  the  att^mpter,  be  he  plaintiff  or  be  he  de- 
fendant, be  his  name  Pickwick,  or  I^^oakes,  or  Stoakes, 
or  Stiles,  or  Brown,  or  Thompson. 

But  Pickwick,  gdntlemen,  Pickwick,  the  ruthless  de- 
stroyer of  this  domestic  oasis  in  the  desert  of  Goswell 
street, — Pickwick,  who  has  choked  up  the  well,  and 
thrown  ashes  on  the  sward, — Pickwick,  who  comes  before 
you  to-day  with  his  heartless  tomato-sauce  and  warm- 
ing-pans,— Pickwick,  still  rears  his  head  with  unblush- 
ing effrontery,  and  gazes  without  a  sigh  on  the  ruin  he 
has  made !  Damages,  gfentlemen,  heavy  damages,  is  the 
only  punishment  with  which  you  can  visit  him, — the 
only  recompense  you  can  award  to  my  client !  And  for 
those  damages  she  now  appeals  to  an  enlightened,  a  high- 
minded,  a  rlghtfeeling,  a  conscientious,  a  dispd^ssionate,  a 
sympathizing,  a  contemplate^  jury  of  her  civilized  country- 
rnen !  dickens. 


11.     MEDIAIf  STPtESS. 

1.  The  median  stress  corresponds  to  the  "swell"  in 
music.  It  is  stronsrest  in  the  middle  of  a  sound  or  a 
word.  It  is  adapted  to  the  expression  of  harmonious 
and  poetic  ideas. 

2.  "  It  is,"  says  Eussell,  "  the  natural  utterance  of  those 
emotions  which  allow  the  intermingling  of  reflection  and 
sentiment  with  expression,  and  which  purposely  dwell 
on  sound,  as  a  means  of  enhancing  their  effect. 

3.  "This  mode  of  stress  is  one  of  the  most  important 


166  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

in  its  effect  on  language,  whether  in  the  form  of  speak- 
ing or  of  reading.  Destitute  of  its  ennobling  and  ex- 
pansive sound,  the  recitation  of  poetry  sinks  into  the 
style  of  dry  prose,  the  language  of  devotion  loses  its 
sacredness,  the  tones  of  oratory  lose  their  power  over 
the  heart. 

4.  *'  There  is  great  danger,  however,  of  this  natural 
beauty  of  vocal  expression  being  converted  into  a  fault 
by  being  overdone.  The  habit  recognized  under  the  name 
of  mouthing  has  an  excessively  increased  and  prolonged 
median  swell  for  one  of  its  chief  characteristics.  In 
this  shape,  it  becomes  a  great  deformity  in  utterance, — 
particularly  when  combined  with  what  is  no  infrequent 
concomitant,  the  faulty  mode  of  voice  known  as  chant- 
ing or  singing.  Like  sweetness  among  savors,  this  truly 
agreeable  quality  of  sound  becomes  distasteful  or  dis- 
gusting when  in  the  least  degree  excessive. 

5.  ''The  practice  of  median  stress,  therefore,  requires 
very  close  attention.  The  spirit  of  poetry  and  the  lan- 
guage of  eloquence, — the  highest  effects  of  human  ut- 
terance,— render  it  indispensable  as  an  accomplishment 
in  elocution.  But  a  chaste  and  discriminating  ear  is 
requisite  to  decide  the  just  degree  of  its  extent. 

6.  "Median  stress  has  the  form  of  effusive  utterance 
in  sitbliine,  solemn,  and  ^mthetic  emotions :  it  becomes 
expulsive,  in  those  which  combine  force  with  grandeur, 
as  in  admiration,  courage,  authoritative  command,  indig- 
nation, and  similar  feelings.  But  its  effect  is  utterly  in- 
compatible with  the  abruptness  of  ex/plosion.  Its  com- 
paratively musical  character  adapts  it,  with  special  felicity 
of  effect,  to  the  melody  of  verse,  and  the  natural  stvell 
of  poetic  expression." 

7.  Median  stress  requires  a  prolongation  of  vowel  and 
liquid  sounds;  it  is  a  contrast  to  the  abruptness  of  the 
radical  stress.  It  prevails  in  combination  with  "pure 
tone"  and  the  "orotund." 


school  elocution.  167 

Median  Stress  Drill. 

1.  Eepeat,  three   times,  the  long  vocals,  a,  e,  i,  5,  u: 

(1)  With   moderate    force   and    effusive    median    stress. 

(2)  With  expulsive  median  stress.     (3)   With   increased 
force  and  expulsive  median  stress. 

2.  In  the  same  manner  repeat,  four  times,  the  vocals, 
e,  a,  a,  a,  o,  o. 

3.  Count  from  one  to  twenty,  with  soft  force  and 
effusive  median  stress ;  with  loud  force  and  expulsive 
median  stress. 

4.  Eepeat,  three  times,  the  following  words  with  ex- 
pulsive median  stress :  all,  call,  ball,  tall,  hall,  pall. 

5.  Eepeat  four  times,  in  monotone,  with  full  swell  on 
the  prolonged  Z,  the  following  :  bells,  bells,  bells,  bells, 
bells. 

Examples   of  Median   Stress. 

1.   EoU  on,  thou  deep  and  dark  blue  ocean,  roll! 

2.   Ye  winds,  ye  unseen  currents  of  the  air, 
Softly  ye  played  a  few  brief  hours  ago. 

3.  The  curfew  tolls  the  knell  of  parting  day. 

4.  Hail !   holy  light,  offspring  of  heaven,  first-born. 

5.  The  rivers,  lakes,  and  ocean,  all  stood  still. 

6.  Sweet  Auburn  !   loveliest  village  of  the  plain. 

7.  Was  it  the  chime  of  a  tiny  bell 

That  came  so  sweet  to  my  dreaming  ear  ? 
Like  the  silvery  tones  of  a  fairy's  shell 

That  he  winds  on  the  beach,  so  mellow  and  clear. 

8.   Eing  out  the  old,  ring  in  the  new, 
Eing,  happy  bells,  across  the  snow. 


168  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

9.    0  Lord,  thou  art  clothed  with  honor  and  majesty. 

10.   And  where  her  sweetest  theme  she  chose, 

A  soft,  responsive  voice  was  heard  at  every  close, 
And  Hope,  enchanted,  smiled  and  waved  her  golden  hair. 

11.   These  are  thy  glorious  works,  parent  of  good, 
Almighty!   Thine  this  universal  frame. 

12.  Then  the  angel  threw  up  his  glorious  hands  to 
the  heaven  of  heavens,  saying :  ''  End  is  there  none  to 
the  universe  of  God.     Lo  1  also,  there  is  no  beginning." 

13.  Peal  out  evermore. 

Peal  as  ye  pealed  of  yore. 
Brave  old  bells,  on  each  Sabbath  day. 

14.  I  heard  the  bells  on  Christmas  Day 
Their  old,  familiar  carols  play. 

And  wild  and  sweet. 
The  words  repeat 
Of  peace  on  earth,  good- will  to  men ! 

15.  Thou,  too,  sail  on,  0  Ship  of  State ! 
Sail  on,  0  Union,  strong  and  great ! 

16.   These  struggling  tides  of  life  that  seem 
In  wayw^ard,  aimless  course  to  tend, 
Are  eddies  of  the  mighty  stream 

That  rolls  to  its  appointed  end.  bryant. 

17.   From  the  wall  into  the  sky. 

Prom  the  roof  along  the  spire : 
Ah,  the  souls  of  those  that  die 
Are  but  sunbeams  lifted  higher.      Longfellow. 

18.    So  shall  our  voice  of  sovereign  choice 
Swell  the  deep  bass  of  duty  done, 
And  strike  the  key  of  time  to  be, 

When  God  and  man  shall  speak  as  one ! 

Whittier. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  169 

19.    Ah,   distinctly   I   remember,    it    was   in    the    bleak 

December, 
And  each  separate  dying  ember  wrought  its  ghost 

upon  the  floor. 
Eagerly  I  wished  the  morrow :  vainly  I  had  sought 

to  borrow 
From  my  books  surcease  of  sorrow — sorrow  for  the 

lost  Lenore — 
For  the  rare  and  radiant  maiden  whom  the  angels 

name  Lenore — 

Nameless  here  for  evermore.  pqe. 

20.    0  Babie,  dainty  Babie  Bell, 

How  fair  she  grew  from  day  to  day ! 

What  woman-nature  filled  her  eyes — 

What  poetry  within  them  lay  I 

Those  deep  and  tender  twilight  eyes. 

So  full  of  meaning,  pure  and  bright. 

As  if  she  yet  stood  in  the  light 

Of  those  oped  gates  of  Paradise.         aldrich. 

21.       The  splendor  falls  on  castle  walls 

And  snowy  summits  old  in  story: 
The  long  light  shakes  across  the  lakes, 
And  the  wild  cataract  leaps  in  glory. 
Blow,  bugle,  blow;  set  the  wild  echoes  flying; 
Blow,  bugle;  answer,  echoes — dying,  dying,  dying. 

Tennyson. 

22.    By  the  rude  bridge  that  arched  the  flood. 
Their  flag  to  April's  breeze  unfurled, 
Here  once  the  embattled  farmers  stood, 
And  fired  the  shot  heard  round  the  world. 

Emerson. 

23.   Down  the  dark  future,  through  long  generations, 

The  echoing  sounds  grow  fainter,  and  then  cease ; 
And  like  a  bell,  with  solemn,  sweet  vibrations, 
I  liear  once  more  the  voice  of  Christ  say, "Peace!" 


170  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Peace!   and  no  longer  from  its  brazen  portals 

The  blast  of  War's  great  organ  shakes  the  skies! 

But  beautiful  as  songs  of  the  immortals, 

The  holy  melodies  of  love  arise.  Longfellow. 

24.  Youth  longs  and  manhood  strives,  but  age  remem- 

bers— 
Sits  by  tlie  raked-up  ashes  of  the  past; 
Spreads  its  thin  hands  above  the  whitening  embei^ 
That  warm  its  creeping  life-blood  till  the  last. 

But  0  my  gentle  sisters !  0  my  brothers ! 

These  thick-sown  snow-flakes  hint  of  toil's  release; 
These  feebler  pulses  bid  me  leave  to  others 

The  tasks  once  welcome — evening  asks  for  peace. 

Time  claims  bis  tribute;  silence  now  is  golden: 
Let  me  not  vex  the  too  long-suffering  lyre ; 

Though  to  your  love  untiring  still  beholden, 
The  curfew  tells  me — cover  up  the  fire,       holmes. 

25.  0,  a  wonderful  stream  is  the  river  Time, 

As  it  runs  through  the  realm  of  tears. 
With  a  faultless  rhythm  and  a  musical  rhyme. 
And  a  boundless  sweep  and  surge  sublime, 

As  it  blends  w^ith  the  Ocean  of  Years.       taylor. 

26.       THE    WEDDING    BELLS. 

[Bead  this  stanza  loith  pure  tone,  middle  pitch,   sloiv  movement,  and 
oi'otimd  quality.'] 

Hear  the  mellow  wedding -hiAl^ — golden  bells  ! 
What  a  world  of  happiness  their  harmony  foretells  ! 
Through  the  balmy  air  of  night,  how  they  ring  out  their 
delight ! 

From  the  molten-golden  notes. 

All  in  tiine. 
What  a  liquid  ditty  floats 
To  the  turtle-dove  that  listens,  while  she  gloats 
On  the  moon! 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  171 

Oh,  from  out  the  sounding  cdlls, 
What  a  gush  of  euphony  voluminously  wfeUs  ! 

How  it  swells,  how  it  dwells 
On  the  Future !     How  it  tells  of  tlie  rapture  that  impels 
To  the  swinging  and  the  ringing  of  the  bells,  bells,  bells, 
Of  the  bells,  bells,  bells,  bells,  bells,  bells,  bells — 
To  the  rhyming  and  the  chiming  of  the  bells.  poe. 

27.      INVOCATION   TO   LIGHT. 

[^Rcad  the  following  selection   with   orotund  quality,   slow  movement, 
and  strong  force.'] 

Hail !   holy  Light — offspring  of  Heaven,  first-born. 

Or  of  the  Eternal,  co-eternal  beam ; 

May  I  express  thee  unblamed  ?   since  God  is  light. 

And  never  but  in  unapproachdd  light, 

Dwelt  from  eternity — dwelt  then  in  thee, 

Bright  effluence  of  bright  Essence  increate ! 

Or  hear'st  thou,  rather,  pure  ethereal  stream, 

Whose  fountain  who  shall  tell  ? — Before  the  sun. 

Before  the  heavens  thou  wert,  and,  at  the  voice 

Of  God,  as  with  a  mantle,  didst  invest 

The  rising  world  of  waters,  dark  and  deep. 

Won  from  the  void  and  formless  infinite.         milton. 

28.      LIBERTY   OF   THE   PKESS. 

1.  The  liberty  of  the  press  is  the  highest  safeguard 
to  all  free  government.  Ours  could  not  exist  without 
it.  It  is  like  a  great,  exulting,  and  abounding  river. 
It  is  fed  by  the  dews  of  heaven,  which  distill  their 
sweetest  drops  to  form  it.  It  gushes  from  the  rill,  as 
it  breaks  from  the  deep  caverns  of  the  earth.  It  is 
augmented  by  a  thousand  affluents,  that  dash  from  the 
mountain  top,  to  separate  again  into  a  thousand  boun- 
teous and  irrigating  streams  around. 

2.  On  its  broad  bosom  it  bears  a  thousand  barks. 
There  genius  spreads  its  purpling  sail.  There  poetry 
dips    its    silver    oar.     There    art,    invention,    discovery, 


172  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

science,  morality,  religion,  may  safely  and  securely  float. 
It  wanders  through  every  land.  It  is  a  genial,  cordial 
source  of  thought  and  inspiration,  whatever  it  touches, 
whatever  it  surrounds.  Upon  its  borders  there  grows 
every  flower  of  grace,  and  every  fruit  of  truth.        baker. 

29.      FIIOM   THE   BOOK   OF   PSALMS. 

Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul.  0  Lord  my  God,  Thou 
art  very  great ;  Thou  art  clothed  with  honor  and  majesty : 
who  coverest  thyself  with  light  as  with  a  garment;  who 
stretchest  out  the  heavens  like  a  curtain;  who  layeth 
the  beams  of  His  chambers  in  the  waters;  who  maketh 
the  clouds  His  chariot;  who  walketh  upon  the  wings  of 
the  wind;  who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth,  that 
it  should  not  be  removed  forever. 

30.  ossian's  address  to  the  sun. 
0  thou  that  roUest  above,  round  as  the  shield  of  my 
fathers !  whence  are  thy  beams,  0  sun  !  thy  everlasting 
light  ?  Thou  comest  forth  in  thy  awful  beauty ;  the 
stars  hide  themselves  in  the  sky ;  the  moon,  cold  and 
pale,  sinks  in  the  western  wave.  But  thou  thyself 
movest  alone :   who  can  be  a  companion  of  thy  course  ? 

IIL    VANISHING  STEESS. 

1.  The  vanishing  or  terminal  stress  is  used  when  the 
force  of  voice  hangs  upon  the  final  part  of  a  word.  It 
corresponds  to  the  crescendo  in  music.  It  is  a  form  of 
stress  expressive  of  very  strong  emphasis,  and  is  often 
combined  with  the  rising  or  falling  circumflex. 

2.  Used  with  a  moderate  degree  of  force,  this  stress 
is  applied  in  the  expression  of  petulance,  of  peevish- 
ness, of  impatience,  of  willfulness,  and  of  querulous 
complaint ;  combined  with  strong  force,  it  is  applied  to 
express  persistent  determination,  astonishment,  amaze- 
ment, and  horror. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  173 

3.  Concerning  the  use  of  this  stress,  Prof.  Eussell 
remarks :  "  Like  all  other  forms  of  impassioned  utter- 
ance which  are  strongly  marked  in  the  usages  of  natural 
habit,  this  property  of  voice  is  indispensable  to  appropri- 
ate elocution,  whether  in  speaking  or  reading.  Without 
'vanishing  stress,'  declamation  will  sometimes  lose  its 
manly  energy  of  determined  will,  and  become  feeble  song 
to  the  ear.  High-wrought  resolution  can  never  be  ex- 
pressed without  it.  Even  the  language  of  protest,  though 
respectful  in  form,  needs  the  aid  of  the  right  degree  of 
vanishing  stress,  to  intimate  its  sincerity  and  its  firm- 
ness of  determination,  as  well  as  its  depth  of  conviction. 

4.  "  But  wlien  we  extend  our  views  to  the  demands 
of  lyric  and  dramatic  poetry,  in  which  high-wrought 
emotion  is  so  abundant  an  element  of  effect,  the  full 
command  of  this  property  of  voice,  as  the  natural  utter- 
ance of  extreme  passion,  becomes  indispensable  to  true, 
natural,  and  appropriate  style." 

EXAMPLES. 

[7%e  italicized  words  have  the  vanisliing  stress,  and  are  marked  vnth 
ilic  circumflex  inflection.'] 

1.  I  know  we  do  not  mean  to  submit.  We  never  shdll 
submit. 

2.  Earth  may  hide,  waves  engulf,  fire  consume  us, 
But  they  shdll  not  to  slavery  doom  us.   • 

3.  I'll  have  my  hond ;  I  will  not  hear  thee  speak: 
I  '11  have  my  hond :  and  therefore  speak  no  more. 

4.  But  they  shdll  go  to  school.  Don't  tell  me  they 
shouldn't.  (You  are  so  aggravating,  Caudle,  you'd  spoil 
the  temper  of  an  angel  !)  They  shdll  go  to  school :  mark 
that!  and  if  they  get  their  deaths  of  cold,  it's  not  my 
fault ;  /  did  nH  lend  the  umbrella. 

5.   "  Be  that  word  our  sign  of  parting,  bird  or  fiend,''  I 
shrieked,  upstarting; 


174  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

"Get   thee   lack   into    the    tempest,    and    the    night's 
Plutonian  shore  ! 
Leave  no   black   plume   as  a   token   of   that  lie   thy 

soul  hath  spoken  ! 
Leave   my  loneliness  unlrbken  !  qicU    the  bust  above 

my  door  ! 
Take  thy  heah  from  out  my  hearty  and  take  thy  form 
from  off  my  door ! " 

Quoth  the  Eaven,  "Nevermore." 

6.     nioM  grattan's  speech. 
Here  I  stand  for  impeachment  or  trial.     I  dare  accu- 
sation !      I  defy  the    honorable   gentleman  !     I  defy  the 
government  !    I  defy  their  whole  ^phalanx  !    Lei  them  eome 
forth  ! 

7.      FROM    WEBSTER. 

On  such  occasions,  I  will  place  myself  on  the  extreme 
houndary  of  my  right,  and  bid  defiance  to  the  arm  that 
would  push  me  from  it. 

8.     THE  Seminole's  reply. 
I  loathe  ye  in  my  bosom, 

I  scorn  ye  with  mine  eye, 
111  taunt  ye  with  my  latest  Ireath, 

And  fight  ye  till  1  die,  fatten. 

9.       EIENZI. 

I  come  not  here  to  tdlh.     Ye  know  too  w^ell 
The  story  of  our  thralldom.     We  are  slaves  I 
The  bright  sun  rises  to  his  course  and  lights 
A  race  of  slaves !     He  sets,  and  his  last  beam 
Fdlls  on  a  slave.  mitford. 

10.       BRUTUS    TO    CASSIUS. 

Fret,  till  your  proud  heart  hretih ; 

Go,  show  your  slaves  how  choleric  you  are, 

And  make  your  bondsmen  tremble.     Must  /  budge  ? 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  175 

Must  /  ohserve  you?    Must  I  stand  and  crouch 
Under  youi*  testy  humor  ?     By  the  godsy 
You  shall  digest  the  venom  of  your  spleen, 
Though  it  do  s;pl\t  you;  for,  from  this  day  forth, 
I'll  use  you  for  my  mirth,  yea,  for  my  Idughter, 

When   you   are   waspish  Shakespeare. 

IV.     THOEOUGH  STEESS. 

Thorough  or  through  stress  corresponds  to  the  organ 
tone  in  music.  The  force  is  powerful  enough  to  per- 
vade an  entire  word  or  sound  —  the  beginning,  the 
middle,  and  the  end.     It  is  indicated  thus:  (  =  ). 

Thorough  stress  prevails  in  vehement  declamation 
and  impassioned  oratory  when  the  speaker  is  under  the 
sway  of  intense  excitement.  It  is  also  used  in  calling 
or  shouting,  when  the  voice  is  rolled  out  in  a  full  and 
steady  stream. 

Carried  to  excess,  this  stress  is  characteristic  of  rant, 
bombast,  and  the  worst  faults  of  untrained  speakers. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.    Vanguard!  to  right  and  left  the  front  unfold. 

2.  Peal !  peal !  peal ! 

Bells  of  brass  and  bells  of  steel. 

3.  "To  all  the  truth  we  tell!  we  tell!" 
Shouted  in  ecstasies  a  bell. 

4.    And  like  a  silver  clarion  rung, 

"  Excelsiory 

5.  Advance  your  standards !  draw  your  willing  swords. 

6.  Forward  the  light  brigade ! 

7.  Clang !   clang !   clang  1   the  massive  anvils  rang. 

8.  "Ship  ahoy !  ^\iv^  ahoy!''  shouted  the  captain. 

9.  Shoulder — arms !    Forwdivdi  march  !    Halt  ! 


176  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

10.  Charge  for  the  guns  !     Charge  !  Charge  I 

11.  Then  rose  the  awful  cry,  '' Fire  !  fire  !  fire  !  " 

12.  Halloo!  ho-o-o-o!   come  here!     Halloo! 

13.  Hurrah !  hurrah  !  for  the  fiery  fort  is  ours ; 

Victory  !   Victory  !   Victory  I 

14    Liberty  !  freedom  !     Tyranny  is  dead  ; 

Eim  hence,  proclaim,  cry  it  about  the  streets! 

15.    Eejoice,  ye  men  of  Anglers !  ring  your  bells ; 

King  John,  your  king  and  England's,  doth  approach. 
Open  your  gates,  and  give  the  victors  way ! 

16.    "0,  spare  my  child,  my  joy,  my  pride! 
0,  give  me  hack  my  child/''  she  cried; 
"My  child !  my  child  I "  with  sobs  and  tears, 
She  shrieked  upon  his  callous  ears. 

17.    "Nine,''  by  the  cathedral  clock! 

Chill  the  air  with  rising  damps; 
Drearily  from  block  to  block 

In  the  gloom  the  bell-man  tramps — 
"  Child  lost  I     Child  lost  ! 

Blue  eyes,  curly  hair. 
Pink  dress — child  lost  I " 

18.    Body  of  turkey,  head  of  owl, 

Wings  a-droop  like  a  rained-on  fowl. 
Feathered  and  ruffled  in  every  part, 
Skipper  Ireson  stood  in  the  cart. 
Scores  of  women,  old  and  young, 
Strong  of  muscle,  and  glib  of  tongue, 
Pushed  and  pulled  up  the  rocky  lane, 
Shouting  and  singing  the  shrill  refrain  : 
"  Here 's  Flud  Oirson,  fur  his  horrd  horrt, 
Torrd  an'  futherr^d  an'  corr'd  in  a  corrt, 
By  the  women  d  MorbUeadV 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  177 

19.      FITZ-JAMES'S   DEFIAKCE. 

Come  dne,  come  cill  !  this  rbcJc  shall  fly 
From  its  firm  base  as  soon  as  J".  scott. 

20.      THE   AMERICAN   FLAG. 

Flag  of  the  free  heart's  hope  and  hbme^ ! 

By  angel  hands  |  to  vdclor  given; 
Thy  stars  |  have  lit  the  welkin  ddme, 

And  all  thy  hues  \  were  born  in  hiaven. 
Forever  float  |  that  standard  sheet ! 

Where  breathes  the  /rfe  |  but  falls  he  fore  us, 
With  Freedom's  soil  |  beneath  our  feet, 

And  Freedom's  banner  |  streaming  oer  us, I 

Drake. 
21.      MOLOCH. 

He  called  so  loud,  that  all  the  hollow  deep 
Of  hell  resounded. 

"  Princes  !     Potentates  I 
Wctrriors  I  the  flower  of  heaven,  once  yours,  now  Ibsty 
If  such  astonishment  as  tMs  can  seize  | 
Fternal  spirits;  or  have  ye  chosen  this  place 
To  rest  your  wearied  virtue,  for  the  ease  \  ye  find  | 
To  slumber  here,  as  in  the  vales  of  heaven  ? 
Or  I  in  this  ahjeet  pdsture  \  have  you  sworn  | 
To  adore  the  Conqueror,  who  now  beholds  | 
Cherub  and  seraph  |  rolling  in  the  flood, 
With  scattered  arms  and  ensigns;  till,  anon, 
His  swift  pursuers,  from  heaven's  gates  |  discern  | 
The  advdntagey  and  descending,  tread  us  dbiun  \ 
Thus  drbojnng ;  or  witli  linked  thunderholts  \ 
Transfix  us  to  [  the  bottom  of  this  gulf  ? 
Awake  !  arise  !  or  be  forever  fttllen  I "  milton. 

22.       PEPtOTlATION   OF   WEBSTER's    REPLY   TO    IIAYNE. 

The   scene   in   the    Senate    Chamber   of    the    United   States,    as   Web- 
ster  delivered   this   peroration,    is   thus   described   by   C.    W.    March  : 
The    exulting    rush    of    feeling    with    which    he    went    through    the 


178  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

peroration  threw  a  glow  over  his  countenance,  like  inspiration — 
eye,  brow,  each  feature,  every  line  of  his  face  seemed  touched  as 
with  a  celestial  fire.  The  swell  and  roll  of  his  voice  struck  upon 
the  ears  of  the  spell-bound  audience,  in  deep  and  melodious 
cadence,  lis  waves  upon  the  shore  of  the  far-sounding  sea.  The 
Miltonic  grandeur  of  his  words  was  the  fit  expression  of  his  tliought 
and  raised  his  hearers  up  to  his  theme.  His  voice,  exerted  to  its 
utmost  power,  penetrated  every  recess  and  corner  of  the  Senate — 
penetrated  even  the  ante-rooms  and  stair-ways,  as  he  pronounced 
in  the   deepest   tones   of   j)athos    these   words   of    solemn    significance  : 

I  have  not  allowed  myself,  sir,  to  look  beyond  the 
Union,  to  see  what  might  lie  hidden  in  the  dark  recess 
heJimd.  I  have  not  coolly  weighed  the  chances  of  pir- 
serving  liberty  when  the  bonds  that  unite  us  together 
shall  be  broken  asunder.  I  have  not  accustomed  myself 
to  hang  over  the  ^precipice  of  disunion,  to  see  wdiether, 
with  my  short  sight,  I  can  fathom  the  depth  of  the 
abyss  below ;  nor  could  I  regard  him  as  a  safe  counselor 
in  the  affairs  of  this  gdvernment  whose  thoughts  should 
be  mainly  bent  on  considering,  not  how  the  Union  may 
be  best  preserved,  but  how  tolerable  might  be  the  condi- 
tion of  the  people  when  it  shall  be  broken  wp  and 
destrbyed.  While  the  Union  lasts,  we  have  high,  excit- 
ing, gratifying  prospects  spread  out  before  us,  for  us 
and  our  children.  Beyond  that  I  seek  not  to  penetrate 
the  veil.  God  grant  that,  in  my  day  at  least,  that  cur- 
tain may  not  rise  !  God  grant  that  on  my  vision  never 
may  be  opened  what  lies  behind !  When  my  eyes  shall 
be  turned  to  behdld,  for  the  last  time,  the  sun  in  heaven, 
may  I  not  see  him  shining  on  the  broken  and  dishonored 
fragments  of  a  once  glorious  Union^;  on  States  dissevered, 
discordant,  belligerent ;  on  a  land  rent  with  civil  fcdds, 
or  drenched,  it  may  be,  in  fraternal  bldod!  Let  their 
last  feeble  and  lingering  glance,  rather,  behold  the 
gorgeous  ensign  of  the  republic,  now  known  and  honored 
throughout  the  mrth,  still  full  high  advanced,  its  arms 
and   trophies   streaming   in    their   original   leister,   not  a 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  179 

stripe  erased  or  polluted^  nor  a  single  star  obscixred ; 
bearing  for  its  motto,  no  such  miserable  interrdgatory  as 
"  What  is  all  this  worth  / "  nor  those  other  words  of 
delusion  and  folly,  "Liberty  first,  and  Union  after- 
ivards ;  but  everywhere,  spread  all  over  in  characters  of 
living  light,  blazing  on  all  its  ample  folds,  as  they  float 
over  the  sea  and  over  the  Idtnd,  and  in  eve7y  wind  under 
the  whole  heavens,  that  other  sentiment,  dear  to  every 
true  Aynerican  heart — Liberty  and  Union,  noio  ^ndi  forever, 
one  and  inseparable. 


23.      PERORATION      OF      BURKE's      SPEECH     ON     THE      IMPEACHMENT      OF 
WARREN    HASTINGS. 

Of  this  famous  speech  Macaulay  says  :  "  The  energy  and  pathos 
of  the  great  orator  extorted  expressions  of  unwonted  admiration 
from  all  ;  and,  for  a  moment,  seemed  to  pierce  even  the  resolute 
heart  of  the  defendant.  The  ladies  in  the  galleries,  unaccustomed 
to  such  displays  of  eloquence,  excited  by  the  solemnity  of  the  occa- 
sion, and  perhaps  not  unwilling  to  display  their  taste  and  sensibility, 
were  in  a  state  of  uncontrollable  emotion.  Handkerchiefs  were 
pulled  out  ;  smelling-bottles  w^ere  handed  round ;  hysterical  sobs 
and  screams  were  heard,  and  some  were  even  carried  out  in  fits. 
At  length,  the  orator  concluded.  Raising  his  voice,  till  the  old 
arches   of  Irish  oak   resounded,   he   said  : 

"  I  impeach  him  in  the  name  of  the  Commons  of  Great 
Britain  in  Parliament  assembled,  whose  parliamentary 
trust  he  has  abused. 

''  I  impeach  him  in  tlie  name  of  the  Commons  of  Great 
Britain,  whose  national  clidracter  he  has  dishonored. 

"  I  impeach  him  in  the  name  of  the  people  of  hidia, 
whose  Ittvjs,  rights,  and  liberties  he  has  svhverted. 

"  I  impeach  him  in  the  name  of  the  people  of  India, 
whose  property  he  has  destroyed,  whose  country  he  has 
laid  waste  and  desolate, 

"I  impeach  him  in  the  name  of  human  nature  itself, 
which  he  has  cruelly  outraged.  Injured,  and  oppressed,  in 
both  sdxes.     And  I  impeacli  him  in  the  ndmc  and  hy  the 


180  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

virtue  of  those  eternal  laws  of  justice,  which  ought  equally 
to  pervade  every  age,  condition,  ranh,  and  situation,  in 
the  world'' 

y.     COMPOUND    STEESS. 

Compound  stress  is  a  combination  of  the  radical  and 
the  vanishing  stress  upon  the  same  word.  Indeed,  it 
may  be  considered  as  a  very  emphatic  form  of  the 
emotional  circumflex  inflection.  It  is  applied,  like  the 
circumflex,  to  express  extreme  astonishment,  irony,  sar- 
casm, mockery,  and  contempt.  It  is  the  stress  of  ex- 
treme emotion. 

In  the  following  examples,  the  words  upon  which  the 
compound  stress  falls  are  marked  with  the  circumflex 
inflection. 

EXAMPI.ES. 

1.  Eepeat,  three  times,  with  extreme  astonishment: 
ah  !   induced  ! 

2.  Eepeat,  three  times,  with  strong  emphasis  and  the 
falling  circumflex  :   eve,  ale,  arm,  all,  old,  ooze. 

3.  Eepeat,  with  strong  force  and  the  rising  circumflex : 
a,  e,  i,  0,  ii ;  the  same  wdth  the  falling  circumflex. 

4.    Banished  from  Rome  I     What 's  banished  but  set  free 
From  daily  contact  of  the  things  I  loathe  ? 
He  dares  not  touch  a  hair  of  Catiline. 

5.  KING   JOHN. 

Gone  to  be  onarried.  !  gone  to  swear  a  peace  ! 

False  blood  to  false  blood  joined  !  gone  to  be  friends  ! 

Sliall  Louis  have  Blanche,  and  Blanche  these  provinces'^ 

Shakespeare. 

6.  SPARTACUS. 

Is  Sparta  d^ead  ?  Is  the  old  Grecian  spirit  frozen  that 
you  do  croUch  and  cower  like  a  belabored  hoUnd  beneath 
his  master's  lash  ? 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  181 

7.      JULIUS  C^SAPt. 

Must  I  hudge? 
Must  /  observe  you  ?    Must  /  stand  and  crouch 
Under  your  testy  humor?     By  the  gods, 
You  shall  digest  the  venom  of  your  spleen 
Though  it  do  s^Mt  you ;  for,  from  this  day  forth, 
I'll  use  you  for  my  mirth,  yea,  for  my  laughter 

When   you   are    icdspish  !  Shakespeare. 

8.      FROM   CICEIIO'S   ACCUSATION   OF   VERRES. 

Is  it  come  to  this  ?  Shall  an  inferior  magistrate,  a 
gdvernor,  who  holds  his  whole  power  from  the  Eoman 
people,  in  a  Eoman  province,  within  sight  of  Italy,  hind, 
scourge,  torture  with  fire  and  red-hot  plates  of  iro7i, 
and  at  last  put  to  the  infamous  death  of  the  C7vss,  a 
Eoman  citizen  ? 


VI.    INTEEMITTENT   STEESS,  OE  THE  TEEMOE. 

1.  Intermittent  stress,  or  the  tremor,  is  the  tremulous 
force  of  voice  upon  a  sound  or  a  word.  The  tremor  is 
characteristic  of  the  tottering  feebleness  of  old  age,  of 
the  weakness  of  sickness,  or  of  the  tones  of  a  person 
shivering  and  trembling  with  cold,  or  with  fear. 

2.  It  naturally  occurs  in  the  utterance  of  fear,  grief, 
joy,  sobbing,  and  laughter,  when  the  emotions  are  so 
strong  as  to  enfeeble  the  flow  of  breath.  In  extreme 
pathos,  the  voice  often  trembles  or  quickens  with  emotion. 

3.  This  form  of  stress  must  be  very  delicately  applied, 
for,  in  excess,  it  becomes  ridiculous. 

4.  Concerning  the  appropriate  application  of  this  form 
of  stress.  Prof.  Eussell  remarks:  "In  the  reading  or  the 
recitation  of  lyric  and  dramatic  poetry,  this  function  of 
voice  is  often  required  for  full,  vivid,  and  touching 
expression.  Without  its  appeals  to  sympathy,  and  its 
peculiar  power  over  the   heart,  many  of  the  most  beau- 


182  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

tiful  and  touching  passages  of  Shakespeare  and  Milton 
become  dry  and  cold.  Like  the  tremolo  of  the  accom- 
plished vocalist  in  operatic  music,  it  has  a  charm,  for 
the  absence  of  which  nothing  can  atone — since  nature 
suggests  it  as  the  genuine  utterance  of  the  most  deli- 
cate and  thrilling  emotion. 

5.  "The  perfect  command  of  tremor  requires  often- 
repeated  practice  on  elements,  syllables,  and  words,  as 
well   as   on    appropriate    passages    of    impassioned    lan- 


Drill  on  Tremor. 

1.  Inhale ;  give  the  tremulous  sound  of  long  a,  thus : 
a — a — a — a,  etc.,  prolonged  until  tlie  breath  is  exhausted. 

2.  In   a  similar  manner,  take  each  of  the  remaining 
long  vowel  sounds,  e,  I,  o,  ii. 

3.  Take  a  similar  drill  on  a ;   on  a ;   on  o. 

Examples  of  Tremor. 

1.       OLD   AGE. 

Pity  the  sorrows  of  a  poor  old  man, 

Whose  tremhling  limbs  have  home  him  to  your  door, 
Whose  days  are  dwindled  to  the  shortest  sjMn; — 

Oh !  give  relief ;  and  Heaven  will  hless  your  store  ! 

2.       GAFFER   GRAY. 

*'  Ho  !   why  dost  thou  shiver  and  shake.  Gaffer  Gray  ? 
And  why  does  thy  nose  look  so  blue  ?  " 

"'Tis  the  vjeather  that's  cold, 

'Tis  I'm  grown  very  old, 
And  my  doiiblet  is  not  vexy  new ;   Well-a-day  ! " 

Wordsworth. 
3.       OLD   AGE. 

And  still  there  came  that  silver  tone, 

From  the  shriveled  lips  of  the  toothless  crone — 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  183 

Let  me  never  forget  to  my  dying  day 
The  tone  or  the  burden  of  her  lay — 

"  Passing  avjcty  !  passing  away  I "         pierpont. 

4.       LAUGHING   UTTERANCE. 

1.   A  fool,  a  fool,  I  met  a  fool  in  the  forest; 
A  motley  fool,  a  miserable  varlet. 
2.    Oh !   then  I  see  Queen  Mab  hatli  been  with  you. 

5.      SOBBING. 

So  Mary  said,  and  Dora  hid  lier  face 

By  Mary.     There  was  silence  in  the  room ; 

And  all  at  once  the  old  man  burst  in  sobs: — 

"  /  have  heen  to  blame — to  blame  I     I  have  killed  my  son  ! 

I  have  hilled  him — but  I  loved  him — my  dear  son  ! 

May  God  forgive  me  ! — /  have  been  to  blam,e. 

Kiss  me,  my  children  I  "  tknnyson's  Dom. 

6.      GOODY   BLxVKE   AND    HARRY   GILL. 

She  prayed,  her  withered  hand  uprearing, 

While  Harry  held  her  by  the  arm — 
"God!   who  art  never  out  of  hearing , 

0  may  he  never  more  be  warm  ! "' 
The  cold,  cold  moon  above  her  head. 

Thus  on  her  knees  did  Goody  pray: 
Young  Harry  heard  what  she  had  said, 

And  icy  cold  he  turned  away. 

No  word  to  any  man  he  utters, 

Abed  or  up,  to  young  or  old  ; 
But  ever  to  himself  he  mutters, 

''Poor  Harry  Gill  is  very  cold'' 
Abed  or  up,  by  night  or  day, 

His  teeth  may  chatter,  chatter  still: 
Now  think,  ye  farmers  all,  I  pray, 

Of  Goody  Blake  and  Harry  Gill.       Wordsworth. 


184  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

7.       RIP  VAN   WINKLE. 

The  honest  man  could  contain  himself  no  longer.  He 
caught  his  daughter  and  her  child  in  his  arms.  "  /  am 
your  father  !"  cried  he,  ''young  Eip  Van  Winkle  once — 
old  Bip  Van  Winkle  now  ! — Does  nobody  know  poor  Bip 

Van    Winkle  ?  "  Irving. 

8.      ENOCH  AIIDEN. 

"  Enoch,  poor  man,  was  cast  away  and  lost." 
He,  shaking  his  gray  head  pathetically, 
Eepeated  muttering,  "  Cast  aivay  and  lost ; " 
Again  in  deeper  inward  whispers,  ''Lost!''' 

Tenxyson. 
9.      LITTLE   GRETCHEN. 

They  lifted   her   up   tearfully,    they   shuddered   as    they 

said, 
"  It  was  a  bitter,  bitter  night !   the  child  is  frozen  dead." 
The  angels  sang  their   greeting   for   one    more   redeemed 

from  sin. 
Men  said,  "  It  was  a  bitter  night ;  would  no  one  let  her 

in  ? " 

"^^  Eecapitulation  of  Stress.  ^  ^, 

1.  The  radical  is  the  stress   of  animal ion^  of  earnest-  -;  73> 
mss,  of  assertion,  of  command,  and  of  passion. 

2.  The   median   is   the   stress   of    sentiment,    of  pathos    /OiD 
and   tenderness,    of  aioe,    reverence,  sidolimity,  and   enthu- 
siasm. 

3.  Vanishing   stress   is   the   stress    of    very   strong    em-       ^ 
phasis,  of  contempt  and  disdain,  of  vjillfnlness,  petulance, 

and  impatience. 

4.  Thorough  stress  is  the  stress  of  impassioned  oratory, 
and  intense  dramatic  expression. 

5.  The  conip)ound  is  the  stress  of  the  circumflex  inflec- 
tion, of  irony,  sarcasm,  contempt,  and  astonishment. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  185 

6.    The  tremor  is  the  stress  of  feebleness,  of  childishness, 
and  of  grief 

StPvESS  Drill. 

1.  Radical.     At  ten  tic  d,  all, 

2.  Median,     All  in  one  mighty  sepulcher. 

3.  Vanishing.     All,  all  is  lost !     All  lost ! 

4.  Thorough.     Come  one,  come  all  / 

5.  Compound.     What  all,  are  they  all  lost  ? 

6.  Intermittent.     All  my  sons  are  dead,  all,  all  dead! 

Examples  of  Steess. 

RADICAI.. 

Hear  the  loud  alarum  bells — brazen  bells ! 

MEDIAN. 

Hear  the  mellow  wedding  bells — golden  bells ! 

VANISHING. 

I  '11  have  my  bond,  and  therefore  speak  no  more. 

THOROUGH. 

Awake  !   Arise  !   or  be  forever  fallen, 

COMPOUND. 

Gone  to  be  married  !  gone  to  svjear  a  ^-?c&^  ! 

INTERMITTENT. 

Pity  the  sorrows  of  a  poor  old  man 

Whose  trembling  limbs  have  borne  him  to  your  door. 


186  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


GHAPTEE  III. 

MOVEMENT. 


Introductory. 

1.  The  three  leading  divisions  of  movement,  rate,  or 
time,  in  reading,  are  slow,  moderate,  and  fast.  These 
distinctions  are,  for  convenience,  subdivided  as  follows : 
1.  Moderate  (corresponding,  in  music,  to  andante),  2. 
Fast  {allegro).  3.  Very  fast  {loresto).  4.  Slow  {cidagio). 
5.    Very  slow  (largo), 

2.  Different  kinds  of  prose  and  verse  require  differ- 
ent rates  of  movement,  but  the  general  principle  that 
governs  all  reading  or  speaking  may  be  stated  as  fol- 
lows :  Bead  slowly  enough  for  your  Ticarers  to  com^ore- 
hend,  fidly  and,  easily,  ivliat  is  read. 

3.  Good  extemporaneous  speakers  generally  have  a  sloio 
and  delibercde  utterance,  because  they  take  time  to  think 
luhat  to  say.  They,  also,  give  their  hearers  time  to  think 
of  -what  is  said  by  the  speaker. 

4.  The  habit  of  slow  reading  may  be  acquired,  not 
by  a  drawling,  hesitating  utterance,  but  by  observing 
rhetorical  and  grammatical  pauses;  by  prolonging  vocal 
and  liquid  sounds;  and  by  taking  time  to  think  of  the 
meaning  of   what  is  read. 

5.  The  general  principles  governing  movement  are 
well  expressed  in  the  following  extract  from  Eussell's 
"  American  School  Eeader : "  "  Everything  tender,  or  sol- 
emn, plaintive,  or  grave,  should  be  read  with  great 
moderation.     Everything    humorous    or    sprightly,  every- 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  187 

thing  witty  or  amusing,  should  be   read   in  a  brisk  and 
lively  manner. 

6.  "  jSTarration  should  be  generally  equable  and  flowing ; 
vehemence,  firm  and  accelerated;  anger  and  joy,  rapid; 
whereas  dignity,  autliority,  sublimity,  reverence,  and  awe 
should,  along  with  deeper  tone,  assume  a  slower  movement. 

7.  ''  The  movement  should,  in  every  instance,  be  adapted 
to  the  sense,  and  free  from  all  luirry  on  the  one  hand, 
or  drawlin2^  on  the  other. 

8.  "  The  pausing,  too,  should  be  carefully  proportioned 
to  the  movement  or  rate  of  the  voice ;  and  no  cliange 
of  movement  from  slow  to  fast,  or  the  reverse,  should 
take  place  in  any  clause,  unless  a  change  of  emotion  is 
implied  in  the  language  of  the  piece." 

Movement  Drill. 

1.  Eepeat,  three  times,  the  long  vocals,  a,  e,  i,  5,  u : 
(1)  With  low  pitch  and  very  slow  movement.  (2)  With 
middle  pitch  and  slow  movement.  (3)  With  moderate 
movement.  (4)  With  fast  movement.  (5)  With  very 
fast  movement. 

2.  Count  from  one  to  twenty:  (1)  With  slow  move- 
ment. (2)  With  moderate  movement.  (3)  With  fast 
movement. 

3.  Eepeat,  with  moderate  movement — 

The  day  is  done,  and  the  darkness 
Falls  from  the  wrings  of  ni^ht 

As  a  feather  is  wafted  downwards 
From  an  eagle  in  his  flight. 

I.     Moderate  Movement. 

Moderate  movement  is  the  characteristic  rate  in  tlie 
reading  of  didactic,  descriptive,  or  narrative  composition, 
and  of  the  poetry  of  sentiment. 


188  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

EXAMPJLES. 

1.       ENGLISH    SCENERY. 

The  great  charm,  however,  of  English  scenery,  is  the 
moral  feeling  that  seems  to  pervade  it.  It  is  associated 
in  the  mind  with  ideas  of  order,  of  quiet,  of  sober,  well- 
established  i^Tmci'ples,  of  hoary  usage,  and  reverend  custom. 
Everything  seems  to  be  the  growth  of  ages  of  regular 
and  peaceful  existence.  The  neighboring  village,  with 
its  venerable  cottages,  its  public  green,  sheltered  by  trees, 
under  which  the  forefathers  of  the  present  race  have 
spdrted ;  the  antique  family  mansion,  standing  apart  in 
some  little  rural  domdin,  but  looking  down  with  a  pro- 
tecting air  on  the  surrounding  scene;  all  these  common 
features  of  English  landscape  evince  a  calm  and  settled 
secilrity,  a  hereditary  transmission  of  home-bred  virtues 
and  local  attachments,  that  speak  deeply  and  toihcliingly 
for  the  moral  clidracter  of  the  nation.  Irving. 

2.      THE   SEASONS   IN   SWEDEN. 

I  must  not  forget  the  suddenly  changing  seasons  of 
the  northern  clime.  There  is  no  long  and  lingering 
spring  unfolding  leaf  and  blossom  one  by  one;  no  long 
and  lingering  autumn,  pompous  with  many-colored  leaves 
and  the  glow  of  Indian  shammers.  But  ivinter  and  silyn- 
mer  are  ivbnderful,  and  pass  into  each  other.  The  quail 
has  hardly  ceased  piping  in  the  corn,  when  winter,  from 
the  folds  of  trailing  clouds,  sows  broadcast  over  the 
land,  sndw,  icicles,  and  rattling  hail. 

The  days  wane  apace.  Ere  long  the  sun  hardly  rises 
above  the  horizon,  or  does  not  rise  at  all.  The  moon 
and  the  stars  shine  through  the  day ;  only,  at  noon,  they 
are  pale  and  wan,  and  in  the  southern  sky  a  red,  fiery 
glow,  as  of  sunset,  burns  along  the  horizon,  and  then 
goes  but.  And  pleasantly,  under  the  silver  moon,  and 
under  the  silent,  solemn  stars,  ring  the  steel  shoes  of  the 
skaters  on  the  frozen  sea,  and  voices,  and  the  sound  of 

OCUS.  Longfellow. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  189 

II.     Fast   Movement. 

Fast,  or  quick,  movement,  is  the  characteristic  rate  in 
the  expression  of  mirth,  fun,  humor,  gladness,  joy,  and 
haste. 

EXAMPI.ES. 

1.       PAUL   r.EVERE's   T.IDE. 

A  hurry  of  hoofs  in  a  village  street, 

A  shape  in  the  moonlight,  a  bulk  in  the  dark, 

And  beneath,  from  the  pebbles,  in  passing,  a  spark 

Struck  out  by  a  steed  that  flies  fearless  and  fldet : 

That  was  all  I     And  yet,  through  the  gloom  and  the  light. 

The  fate  of  a  nation  ivas  ruling  that  night; 

And  the  spark  struck  out  by  that  steed,  in  his  flight, 

Kindled  the  land  into  flaine  witli  its  heat.         loxgfellow. 

2.     l'allegro. 
Haste  thee,  nymph,  and  bring  with  thee 
Jest  and  youthful  Jollity, 
Quij)s,  and  cranks,  and  wanton  ic\les,     . 
Nods,  and  hecks,  and  wreathdd  smiles 
Such  as  hang  on  Hebe's  cheek, 
And  love  to  live  in  dimple  sleek; 
Sport  that  wrinkled  Care  derides, 
And  Laughter  holding  both  his  sides. 
Come,  and  trip  it  as  ye  go 
On  the  light  fantastic  toe; 
And  in  thy  right  hand  lead  with  thee 
The  mountain  nymph,  sweet  Liberty.  milton. 

3.    ONCE  moke. 
"  Will  I  come  1 "     That  is  pleasant !     I  beg  to  inquire 
If  the  gun  that  I  carry  has  ever  missed  fire  ? 
And  which  was  the  muster-roll — mention  but  one — 
That  missed  your  old  comrade  who  carries  the  gun ! 

You  see  me  as  always,  my  hand  on  the  lock, 
The  cap  on  the  nipple,  the  hammer  full  cock. 


190  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

It  is  rusty,  some  tell  me;    I  heed  not  the  scoff; 
It  is  battered  and  hruised,  but  it  always  goes  off ! 

''  Is  it  loaded  ?  "     1 11  het  you !     What  does  n't  it  hold  ? 
Eammed  full  to  the  muzzle  with  memories  untold ; 
Why,  it  scares  me  to  fire,  lest  the  pieces  should  fly 
Like  the  cannons  that  burst  on  the  Fourth  of  July  1 

Holmes. 
4.       EHYME   OF   THE   EAIL. 

Singing  through  the  forests, 

Eattling  over  ridges, 
Shooting  under  arches, 

Paimbling  over  bridges  ; 
Whizzing  through  the  mountains, 

Buzzing  o'er  the  vale, 
Bless  me  !   this  is  pleasant, 

Biding  on  tlie  rail!  saxe. 

5.       THE   MAY   QUEEN. 

You  must  wake  and  call  me  early,  call  me  early,  mother 

dear; 
To-morrow  '11  be  the  happiest  time  of  all  the  glad  JSTew 

Year ; 
Of  all  the  glad  New  Year,  mother,  the  maddest,  merriest 

day ; 
For   I'm   to   be    Queen  o'  the  May,  mother,  I'm  to  be 

Queen  o'  the  May.  tennyson. 

G.       THE    MESSAGE. 

The  muster-place  is  Lanrick  mead  ; 
Speed  forth  the  signal !   IS'orman,  S2oeed  ! 
The  summons  dread  brooks  no  delay. 
Stretch  to  the  race — aivay  !  away  !  scott. 

7.      THE    SUMMONS. 

Come  as  the  winds  come,  when  forests  are  rended; 
Come  as  the  waves  come,  when  navies  are  stranded. 
Faster  come,  faster  come,  faster  and  faster: 
Chief,  vassal,  page,  and  groom,  tenant  and  master. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  191 

Fast  they  come,  fast  they  come ;   see  liow  they  gather ! 
Wide  waves  the  eagle  plume,  blended  with  heather. 
Cast  your  plaids,  draw  your  blades,  forward  each  man  set ; 
Pibroch  of  Donuil  Dhu,  \knell  for  the  onset !  scott. 

8.       THE   SMILING   LISTENER. 

Precisely.     I  see  it.     You  all  want  to  say 

That  a  tear  is  too  sad  and  a  smile  is  too  gay ; 

You  could  stand  a  faint  smile,  you  could  manage  a  sigh, 

But  you  value  your  ribs,  and  you  do  n't  want  to  cry. 

It's  awful  to  think  of — how  year  after  year 
With  his  piece  in  his  pocket  he  waits  for  you  here; 
No  matter  who 's  missing,  there  always  is  one 
To  lug  out  his  manuscript,  sure  as  a  gun. 

III.    Very  Fast  MovexMent. 

Very  fast  movement  is  expressive  of  hurry,  alarm, 
confusion,  flight,  ecstatic  joy,  and  ungovernable  rage 
and  fury. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.      MAZEPPA. 

Aii'dy  ! — away  .^^and  on  we  dash  ! — 
Torrents  less  rapid  and  less  rash. 

Away,  away,  my  steed  and  T, 
Upon  the  pinions  of  the  wind. 
All  human  dwellings  left  behind ; 

We  sped  like  meteors  through  the  shy, 
When  with  its  crackling  sound  the  night 
Is  chequered  with  the  northern  light.         byron. 

2.      HURRY. 

Sisters  !   hence,  with  spurs  of  s-peed  ! 

Each  her  thundering  falchion  wield ; 
Each  bestride  her  sable  steed; 

Hurry !  hurry  to  the  field. 


192  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


Forth  from  the  pass  in  tumult  driven, 
Like  chaff  before  the  wind  of  heaven, 

The  archery  appear; 
For  life  I  for  life  !   their  flight  they  ply ; 
While  shriek,  and  shout,  and  battle-cry. 
And  plaids  and  bonnets  waving  high, 
And  broadswords  flashing  to  the  sky, 

Are  maddening  in  the  rear.  scott. 

4.       GOOD    NEWS. 

I  sprang  to  the  stirrup,  and  Joris,  and  he; 

t  galloped,  Dirck  galloped,  we  galloped  all  thrfee ; 

"  Good  speed  ! "  cried  the  watch  as  the  gate-bolts  nndrfew ; 

"  Speed  !  "  eclioed  the  wall  to  us  galloping  through. 

Behind  shut  the  postern ;   the  lights  sank  to  rfest, 

And  into  the  midnight  we  galloped  abreast. 

N"ot  a  word  to  eacli  other;   we  kept  the  great  pace, 
Kdck  by  ndck,  stride  by  stride,  never  changing  our  place ; 
I  turned  in  my  saddle  aud  made  its  girths  tight. 
Then  sliortened  each  stirrup  and  set  the  pique  right, 
Eebuckled  the  chdck-strap,  chained  slacker  the  bit, 
N"or  galloped  less  steadily  Eoland  a  whit.  browning. 

5.       now    THE   OLD    HORSE   WON   THE   BET. 

"  Bring  forth  the  horse  ! "     Alas  I   he  showed 

ISTot  like  the  one  Mazeppa  rode ; 

Scant-maned,  sharp-backed,  and  shaky-kneed. 

The  wreck  of  what  was  once  a  steed; 

Lips  thin,  eyes  hollow,  stiff  in  joints. 

Yet  not  without  his  knowing  points. 

"  Go  ! " — Through  his  ear  the  summons  stung, 

As  if  a  battle-trump  had  rung; 

The  slumbering  instincts  long  nnstirred 

Start  at  the  old  familiar  word; 

It  thrills  like  flame  through  every  limb — 

What  mean  his  twenty  years  to  him? 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  193 

The  savage  blow  bis  rider  dealt 

Fell  Oil  bis  bollow  flanks  uiifelt ; 

The  spur  that  pricked  bis  staring  bide 

Unbeeded  tore  bis  bleeding  side; 

Alike  to  bim  are  spur  and  rein — 

He  steps  a  five-year-old  again ! 

Before  tbe  quarter-pole  was  passed, 

Old  Hiram  said,  *'  He 's  going  fast." 

Long  ere  tbe  quarter  was  a  balf,  , 

Tbe  cbuckling  crowd  bad  ceased  to  laugh; 

Tighter  bis  frightened  jockey  clung 

As  in  a  mighty  stride  be  swung, 

The  gravel  flying  in  bis  track. 

His  neck  stretched  out,  bis  ears  laid  back, 

His  tail  extended  all  tbe  while 

Behind  bim  like  a  rat-tail  file ! 

Off  went  a  shoe — away  it  spun, 

Shot  like  a  bullet  from  a  gun ; 

Tbe  quaking  jockey  shapes  a  prayer 

From  scraps  of  oaths  be  used  to  swear ; 

He  drops  bis  whip,  be  drops  bis  rein, 

He  clutches  fiercely  for  a  mane; 

He  '11  lose  bis  bold — he  sways  and  reels — 

He'll  slide  beneath  those  trampling  heels! 

But  like  the  sable  steed  that  bore 

Tbe  spectral  lover  cf  Lenore, 

His  nostrils  snorting  foam  and  fire, 

No  stretch  bis  bony  limbs  can  tire; 

And  now  the  stand  lie  rushes  by, 

And  "  Stop  bim  !    stop  bim  ! "    is  the  cry, 

Stand  back  !    lie 's  only  just  begun — 

He's  having  out  three  heats  in  one! 

Now  for  tbe  finish !     At  tbe  turn. 

The  old  horse — all  tbe  rest  astern — 

Comes  swinging  in,  witb  easy  trot; 

By  Jove  !   be 's  distanced  all  tbe  lot !  holmes. 

13 


194  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

IV.     Slow  Movement. 

Sloiu   movement    prevails   in    the   utterance    of   praise 
and  adoration,  and  in  all  expression  when  the  mind  is 
under    the    influence    of    meditation,    grief,    melancholy,  > 
grandeur,    sublimity,    vastness,    or     power.       It    is    the  f 
characteristic   rate   of   thoughtful   and   powerful   oratory.  \ 
In  slow  movement,  the  rhetorical  pauses  are  long,  and 
the   voice    dwells   on    the    liquid    and    the    long   vowel  * 
sounds. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  ASTRONOMY. 

Generation  after  generation  has  rolled  aivhy,  age  after 
age  has  swept  silently  hy ;  but  each  has  swdlled,  by  its 
contributions,  the  stream  of  discovery.  Mysterious 
movements  have  been  unraveled  ;  mighty  Idivs  have  been 
revealed;  ponderous  6rhs  have  been  weighed;  one  barrier 
after  another  has  given  way  to  the  force  of  intellect ; 
until  the  mind,  majestic  in  its  strength,  has  mounted, 
stdp  by  st^p,  up  the  rocky  height  of  its  self-built 
pyramid,  from  whose  star-crowned  summit  it  looks  out 
upon  the  grandeur  of  the  universe  self-clothed  with  the 

"prescience    of  a    God.  .  Mitchell. 

2.  THE    RAVEN. 

Ah,  distinctly  I  remember,  it  was  in  the  bleak  December, 
And  each  separate  dying  ember  wrought  its  ghost  upon 

the  floor : 
Eagerly  I  wished  the  morrow ; — vainly  I  had  souglit  to 

borrow 
From  my  books  surcease  of  sorrow^ — sorrow  for  the  lost 

Lenore — 
For  the  rare  and  radiant  maiden  whom  the  angels  name 

Lenore — 

Nameless  here  for  evermore. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  195 

3.      THE   ANCIENT   MAIIINER. 

Alone,  alone,  all,  all  alone. 

Alone  on  tlie  wide,  wide  sea; 
And  never  a  saint  took  pity  on 

My  soul  in  agony. 

The  many  men,  so  beautiful ! 

And  they  all  dead  did  lie  ! 
And  a  thousand  thousand  slimy  things 

Lived  on — and  so  did  I. 

I  closed  my  lids  and  kept  them  close, 

Till  the  balls  like  pulses  beat ; 
For  the  sky  and  the  sea,  and  the  sea  and  the  sky 
Lay  like  a  load  on  my  weary  eye, 

And  the  dead  were  at  my  feet.  coleridge. 

4.      THE   HOUR   OF   DEATH. 

Leaves  have  their  time  to  fall. 
And  flowers  to  wither  at  the  north-wind's  breath. 

And  stars  to  set — but  all. 
Thou  hast  all  seasons  for  thine  own,  0  Death  ! 

Mrs.  Hemans. 
5.      TO   A   WATERFOWL. 

Wliither,  midst  falling  dew, 

While  glow  the  heavens  with  the  last  steps  of  day, 
Far  through  their  rosy  depths  dost  thou  pursue 

Thy  solitary  way  ? 

Vainly  the  fowler's  eye 

Might  mark  thy  distant  flight  to  do  thee  wrong. 
As,  darkly  painted  on  the  crimson  sky, 

Thy  figure  floats  along.  Bryant. 

y.    Very  Slow  Movement. 

Very  slow  movement  prevails  in  the  expression  of  deep 
emotions,  such  as  awe,  reverence,  horror,  melancholy,  and 
grief. 


196  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

In  this  movement  the  rhetorical  and  grammatical 
pauses  are  very  long,  and  the  vowel  and  liquid  sounds 
are  dwelt  upon  and  prolonged. 

The  prevailing  inflection  in  tliis  movement  is  the 
monotone. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  Air,  earth,  and  sea  resound  his  praise  abroad. 

2.  EoU  on,  thou  deep  and  dark  blue  ocean,  roll. 

3.  Old  ocean's  gray  and  melancholy  waste. 

4    Childless  and  crownless  in  her  voiceless  woe. 

5.  It  thunders !     Sons  of  dust,  in  reverence  bow. 

6.  Unto  Thee  I  lift  up  mine  eyes,  0  Thou  that  dwell- 
est  in  the  heavens. 

7.  Thou  hast  all  seasons  for  thine  own,  0  Death ! 

8.  Now  o'er  the  one  half  world 

i^ature  seems  dead ;   and  wicked  dreams  abuse 

The  curtained  sleeper. 

Thou  sure  and  firm-set  earth, 

Hear  not  my  steps  which  way  tliey  walk,  for  fear 

The  very  stones  prate  of  my  whereabouts, 

And  take  the  present  horror  from  the  time 

Which  now  suits  with  it. 

9.       CAEDINAL   WOLSEY. 

Farewell,  a  long  farewell,  to  all  my  greatness. 
This  is  the  state  of  man;   to-day  he  puts  forth 
The  tender  leaves  of  hope,  to-morrow  blossoms, 
And  bears  liis  blushing  honors  thick  upon  him; 
The  third  day  comes  a  frost,  a  killing  frost; 
And  when  he  thinks,  good  easy  man,  full  surely 
His  greatness  is  a-ripening — nips  his  root. 
And  then  he  falls,  as  I  do.     I  have  ventured. 
Like  little  wanton  boys  that  swim  on  bladders. 
This  many  summers  in  a  sea  of  glory — 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  197 

But  far  beyond  my  depth;   my  higli-blown  pride 
At  length  broke  under  me ;  and  now  has  left  me, 
Weary,  and  old  with  service,  to  the  mercy 
Of  a  rude  stream,  that  must  forever  hide  me. 

Shakespeare. 
10.       DREAM   OF   DARKNESS. 

The  crowd  was  famished  by  degrees.     But  two 

Of  an  enormous  city  did  survive, 

And  they  were  enemies.     They  met  beside 

The  dying  embers  of  an  altar-place, 

Where  had  been  heaped  a  mass  of  holy  things 

For  an  unholy  usage.     They  raked  up, 

And,  shivering,  scraped  with  their  cold,  skeleton  hands. 

The  feeble  ashes;   and  their  feeble  breath 

Blew  for  a  little  life,  and  made  a  flame. 

Which  was  a  mockery.     Then  they  lifted 

Their  eyes  as  it  grew  lighter,  and  beheld 

Each  other's  aspects — saw,  and  shrieked,  and  died ; 

Even  of  their  mutual  hideousness  they  died, 

Unknowing  who  he  was,  upon  whose  l)row 

Famine  had  written  Fiend.  byron 

11.       HIAWATHA. 

0  the  long  and  dreary  Winter ! 
0  the  cold  and  cruel  Winter! 
Ever  thicker,  thicker,  thicker 
Froze  the  ice  on  lake  and  river; 
Ever  deeper,  deeper,  deeper 
Fell  the  snow  o'er  all  the  landscape. 
Fell  the  covering  snow,  and  drifted 
Through  the  forest,  round  the  village. 

Longfellow. 

Examples  of  Movement. 
VERY  si.(yw. 

Farewell,  a  long  farewell  to  all  my  greatness. 


198  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

SLOW. 

Alone,  alone,  all,  all  alone. 

MODERATE. 

There  was  a  sound  of  revelry  by  night. 

FAST. 

Come  and  trip  it  as  ye  go 
On  the  light  fantastic  toe. 

VERY  FAST. 

Hurry !  hurry  to  the  field ! 

Require  each  pupil  to  make  out  and  read  in  the  class  a  similar  set 
of  quoted  illustrations. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  199 

CHAPTER  IV. 

PITCH  OF  VOICE. 


I.  Introductory. 


1.  Pitch,  or  key,  denotes  the  highness  or  lowness  of 
the  voice  in  tone.  The  range  of  the  voice  from  the 
lowest  to  the  highest  tone  is  called  its  compass, 
]  2.  The  compass  of  the  voice  among  readers  corre- 
sponds, in  some  degree,  to  the  tenor,  soprano,  contralto, 
and  bass,  among  singers;  but  every  voice  has  its  own 
relatively  low,  middle,  and  high  tones. 

3.  For  every  one,  the  middle  pitch  is  that  tone  to 
which  the  voice  inclines  in  conversation,  or  in  unim- 
passioned  reading. 

4.  The  three  main  divisions  of  pitch  are  the  low,  the 
middle,  and  the  high;  but  these,  for  convenience,  are 
subdivided  into  very  low,  low,  middle,  high,  and  very 
high. 

5.  The  general  key  in  which  a  selection  should  be  read 
is  determined  by  the  general  sentiment  or  character  of 
the  piece. 

6.  In  order  to  avoid  monotony,  there  should  be  some 
slight  variation  of  pitch  at  the  beginning  of  each  suc- 
cessive paragraph  that  marks  a  new  topic  of  discourse, 
or  a  change  of  idea. 

7.  Low  pitch  is  the  tone  expressive  of  serious  thought, 
of  awe,  of  reverence,  of  adoration,  of  horror,  and  of 
despair. 

8.  Middle  pitch  is  the  tone  of  conversation,  and  of 
unimpassioned  narrative  or  descriptive  reading. 


200  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

9.  High  pitch  is  the  tone  of  gayety,  joy,  and  gladness ; 
of  courage  and  exultation;   and  of  shouting  and  calling. 

10.  Of  the  importance  of  drill  exercises  in  pitch,  Prof. 
Monroe  says:  "One  of  the  commonest  faults  in  school 
reading,  and  in  the  delivery  of  many  public  speakers, 
is  a  dull  monotony  of  tone.  This  sameness  is  still  more 
disagreeable  to  the  ear  when  the  voice  is  kept  strained 
upon  a  high  key.  Not  less  unpleasant  is  an  incessant 
repetition  of  the  same  cant  or  sing-song.  Elocutionary 
rules  will  do  little  or  nothing  toward  removing  these 
faults.  Faithful  drill  is  needed,  under  the  guidance  of 
good  taste  and  a  correct  musical  ear.  To  this  must  be 
added  an  appreciation  of  the  sentiment  of  the  piece  at 
the  moment  of  utterance. 

11.  "When  the  organs  have  been  trained  to  freedom 
and  facility  in  all  degrees  of  the  musical  scale,  the 
pupil  wull  find  it  easy  to  modulate  his  voice  in  reading. 
Vowels,  words,  and  sentences  should  be  practiced  wdth 
high,  middle,  and  low  pitch.  Having  these  tones  at  his 
command,  the  expressive  reader  will  vary  the  pitch  with 
every  shade  of  thought  or  emotion,  so  that  a  foreigner 
who  did  not  understand  a  word  might  listen  with  pleas- 
ure to  the  play  of  intonation.  Next  to  sweetness  of 
voice,  a  proper  melody  of  delivery  has  the  greatest 
charm  to  the  hearer." 

II.    Concert  Drill  on  Pitch. 

1.  Sing  the  scale,  up  and  down :  do,  re,  mi,  f[i,  s5l, 
la,  si,  do. 

2.  Sing  the  scale  with  the  long  vowel  sounds,  instead 
of  note  names :  a,  e,  I,  6,  li,  a,  e,  i. 

3.  Sound,  not  sing,  the  long  vowels,  a,  e,  I,  o,  ii,  on 
the  key  of  do ;   of  mi ;   of  s5l ;   of  do. 

4.  Sound  the  long  vowels,  a,  e,  i,  6,  u :  (1)  With  low 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  201 

pitch.     (2)  With   middle    pitch.     (3)  With    high    pitch. 
(4)  With  very  high  pitch. 

5.  Count  from  one  to  twenty:  (1)  In  middle  pitch. 
(2)  With  low  pitch.     (3)  With  high  pitch. 

G.  Eepeat,  five  times,  the  word  "all,"  beginning  with 
very  low  pitch,  and  rising  higher  with  each  successive 
repetition. 

III.    Faults   in  Pitch. 

1.  The  most  common  fault  in  school  reading  is  the 
high  pitch  known  as  the  conventional  "school  tone," 
which  grates  on  the  ear  like  the  filing  of  a  saw.  It 
arises  from  an  effort  to  read  in  a  loud  tone,  and  from 
a  habit  of  reading  without  any  regard  to  thought  or 
feeling.  This  fault  must  be  corrected  by  vocal  drill  on 
a  low  key. 

2.  A  common  fault,  particularly  of  girls,  is  that  of 
reading  with  feeble  force  and  low  pitch. 

3.  Tlie  failure  to  adapt  the  pitch  to  the  sentiment  or 
emotion  of  what  is  read. 

IV.    Examples  of  the  Middle  Pitch. 

The  middle  pitch  is  the  natural  tone  of  ordinary  con- 
versation. It  is  the  appropriate  key  for  the  reading  of 
unimpassioned  narrative,  descriptive,  and  didactic  com- 
position. 

1.  Give  a  boy  address  and  accomplishments,  and  you 
give  him  the  mastery  of  palaces  and  fortunes  where  he 
goes. 

2.  Wisdom  is  better  than  riches. 

3.  Good  morning,  Mr.  Brown.  How  do  you  do  this 
morning  ? 

4    For  all  a  rhetorician's  rules 

Teach  nothinsf  but  to  name  his  tools. 


202  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

5.  Marley  was  dead,  to  begin  with ;  there  is  no  doubt 
whatever  about  that.  Old  Marley  was  as  dead  as  a 
door-nail. 

6.      COXCORD   RIVER. 

We  stand  now  on  the  river's  brink.  It  may  well  be 
called  the  Concord — the  river  of  peace  and  quietness, — 
for  it  is  certainly  the  most  unexcitable  and  sluggish  stream 
that  ever  loitered  imperceptibly  towards  its  eternity,  the 
sea.  Positively,  I  had  lived  three  weeks  beside  it,  be- 
fore it  grew  quite  clear  to  my  perception  which  way 
the  current  flowed.  It  never  has  a  vivacious  aspect, 
except  when  a  north-western  breeze  is  vexing  its  sur- 
face, on  a  sunshiny  day. 

From  the  incurable  indolence  of  its  nature,  the  stream 
is  happily  incapable  of  becoming  the  slave  of  human 
ingenuity,  as  is  the  fate  of  so  many  a  wild,  free,  moun- 
tain torrent.  Wliile  all  things  else  are  compelled  to 
subserve  some  useful  purpose,  it  idles  its  sluggish  life 
away  in  lazy  liberty,  without  turning  a  solitary  spindle, 
or  affording  even  water-power  enough  to  grind  the  corn 

that    grows    upon    its    banks.  Hawthorne. 

7.      WOUTER   VAN   TWILLER. 

This,  by  the  way,  is  a  casual  remark,  wliich  I  would 
not,  for  the  universe,  have  it  thought  I  apply  to  Gov- 
ernor Van  Tvviller.  It  is  true  he  was  a  man  shut  up 
witliin  himself,  like  an  oyster,  and  rarely  spoke  except 
in  monosyllables ;  but  then  it  was  allowed  he  seldom 
said  a  foolish  thing.  So  invincible  was  his  gravity  that 
he  was  never  known  to  laugh,  or  even  to  smile,  through 
the  whole  course  of  a  long  and  prosperous  life.  Nay, 
if  a  joke  were  uttered  in  his  presence,  that  set  light- 
minded  hearers  in  a  roar,  it  was  observed  to  throw  him 
into  a  state  of  perplexity.  Sometimes  he  would  deign 
to  inquire  into  the  matter,  and  when,  after  much  ex- 
planation, the  joke  was  made  as   plain  as  a  pike-staff, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  203 

he  would  continue  to  smoke  his  pipe  in  silence,  and  at 
length,  knocking  out  the  ashes,  would  exclaim,  ''Well, 
I  see  nothing  in  all  that  to  laugh  about."  irving. 

V.    Examples  of  High  Pitch. 

Joy,  mirth,  and  gayety  incline  the  voice  to  pure  tone 
and  high  pitch.  Calling  to  persons  at  a  distance  in- 
clines the  voice  to  high  pitch  and  pure  tone.  Anger, 
courage,  boldness,  and  exultation  incline  the  voice  to 
high  pitch  and  loud  force. 

1.    Sound  drums  and  trumpets,  boldly  and  cheerfully. 

2.    Eing  joyous  chords !   ring  out  again 
A  swifter  still  and  a  wilder  strain. 

3.    And  dar'st  tliou,  then. 

To  beard  the  lion  in  his  den, 
The  Douglas  in  his  hall  ? 

4.    But  thou,  0  Hope,  with  eyes  so  fair, 
What  was  thy  delighted  measure  ? 

5.      ANGER. 

Call  me  their  traitor ! — Thou  injurious  tribune  ! 
Within  thine  eyes  sat  twenty  thdusand  deaths, 
In  thine  hands  clutched  as  many  millions,  in 
Thy  lying  tongue  hotli  numbers,  I  would  say 
Thou  liesty  unto  thee,  with  a  voice  as  free 

As    1    do    pray    the    gods.  From  Coriolanus. 

6.      VICTORY. 

They  strike  !   hurrah !   the  foe  has  surrendered ! 
Shout !   shout !   my  warrior  boy. 
And  wave  your  cap,  and  clap  your  hands  for  joy. 
Cheer  answer  cheer,  and  bear  the  cheer  about. 
Hurrah!    hurrah!   for  the  fiery  fort  is  ours. 

Victory  I   victory  !   victory  ! 


204  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

7.      CALLING. 

I  'm  with  you  once  again  I — I  call  to  you 
Witli  all  my  voice,  I  hold  my  hands  to  you, 
To  show  they  still  are  free.     I  rush  to  you 
As  though  I  could  embrace  you. 

Tell's  Address  to  the  Mountains, 
8.      CALLING  THE   COWS. 

When  over  the  hill  the  farm-boy  goes, 
Cheerily  calling, 
"  Co'  loss  !   cd  boss  !   cd  !   cd  !   cd ! " 
Farther,  farther,  over  the  hill. 
Faintly  calling,  calling  still, 
"  Cd  loss  !   cd  loss  I  cd  !   cd  !   cd  ! '''     trov/bridge. 

9.     THE  watchman's  call. 
Ho  !   watchman,  ho  ! 

Twelve  is  the  clock  ! 
God  keep  our  town 

From  fire  and  brand 

And  hostile  hand ! 
Twelve  is  the  clock ! 

10.      THE   SILVER   BELLS. 

Hear  the  sledges  with  the  bells — 
Silver  bells 
What  a  world  of  merriment  their  melody  foretells  ! 
How  they  tinkle,  tinkle,  tinkle, 

In  the  icy  air  of  night! 
While  the  stars  that  oversprinkle 
All  the  heavens,  seemed  to  twinkle 

With  a  crystalline  delight; 
Keeping  time,  time,  time, 
In  a  sort  of  Kunic  rhyme, 
To  the  tintinnabulation  that  so  musically  w^ells 
From  the  bells,  bells,  bells,  bells, 
Bells,  bells,  bells— 
From  the  jingling  and  the  tinkling  of  the-  bells,     poe. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  205 

11.       EXULTATION. 

Joy !  joy  forever !  my  task  is  done ; 

The  gates  are  passed,  and  lieaven  is  won.     moore. 

12.       COMMAND    AND     SHOUTING. 

Advance  your  standards,  draw  your  willing  siuords  ! 
Sound  drums  and  trumidds,  boldly  and  cheerfully! 
God,  and  Saint  George  !  Richmond,  and  victory  ! 

13.       THE    CHARCOAL    MAN. 

Though  rudely  blows  the  wintry  blast, 
And  sifting  snows  fall  white  and  fast, 
Mark  Haley  drives  along  the  street, 
Perched  high  upon  his  wagon-seat ; 
His  somber  face  the  storm  defies, 
And  thus  from  morn  till  eve  he  cries: — 

"  Chared  !  chared  !  " 
While  echo  faint  and  far  replies : — 

''Hark,  0!  hark,  0 !'' 
"  Chared  !  " — ''  Hark,  0  ! " — Such  cheery  sounds 
Attend  him  on  liis  daily  rounds.  Trowbridge. 

14.       THE    LOST    HEIR. 

One  day,  as  I  was  going  by 
That  part  of  Holborn  christened  High, 
I  heard  a  loud  and  sudden  cry 
That  chilled  my  'very  blood  ; 
"0  Lord!  oh,  dear,  my  heart  will  break,  I  shall  go  stick 

stark  staring  wild ! 
Has  ever  a  one  seen  anything  about  the  streets  like  a 

crying,  lost-looking  child  ? 
The  last  time  as  ever  I  see  him,  poor  thing,  was  with 

my  own  blessed  motherly  eyes. 
Sitting   as    good    as    gold    in    the    gutter,   a -playing    at 

making  little  dirt  pies. 
Billy — where  are  you,  Billy  ? — I  'in  as  hoarse  as  a  crow, 
with  screaming  for  ye,  you  young  sorrow ! 


206  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

And  sha'n't   have   half  a  voice,  no  more  I  sha'n't,  for 

crying  fresh  herrings  to-morrow. 
Billy — where   are   yon,  Billy,   I  say  ?   come  Billy,  come 

home  to  your  best  of  mothers  ! 
I'm  scared  when  I  think  of  them  cabroleys,  they  drive 

so,  they'd  run  over  their  own  sisters  and  brothers. 
Or  may  be  he's  stole  by  some  chimbly-sweepiiig  wretch, 

to  stick  fast  in  narrow  flues  and  what  not. 
And  be  poked  up  behind  with  a  picked  pointed  pole,  when 

the  soot  has  ketched,  and  the  chimbly's  red  hot. 
Oh,  I'd  give  the   whole  wide    world,  if  tlie  world  was 

mine,  to  clap  my  two  longin'  eyes  on  his  face ; 
Tor  he 's  my  darlin'  of  darlin's,  and  if  he  do  n't  soon  come 

back,  you'll  see  me  drop  stone-dead  on  the  place. 
I  only  wish  I'd  got   him   safe   in   these   two   motherly 

arms,  and  would  n't  I  hug  him  and  kiss  him  ! 
Lawk !   I  never   knew   what  a  precious   he  was — but  a 

child  do  n't  feel  like  a  child  till  you  miss  him. 
Why,  there  he  is !     Punch  and  Judy  hunting,  the  young 

wretch ;  it 's  that  Billy  as  sartin  as  sin ! 
But  let  me  get  *him  home,  with  a  good  grip  of  his  hair, 

and  I  'm  blest  if  he  shall  have  a  whole  bone  in  his 

skin!"  Hood. 

15.      EXTRACTS    FROM    IIOOD's    **TALE    OF    A    TRUMPET." 

Of  all  old  women  liard  of  hearing. 

The  deafest,  sure,  was  Dame  Eleanor  Spearing  J 

On  her  head,  it  is  true. 

Two  flaps  there  grew. 
That  served  for  a  pair  of  gold  rings  to  go  through; 
But  for  any  purpose  of  ears  in  a  parley. 
They  heard  no  more  than  ears  of  barley. 

However,  in  the  peddler  came. 

And  the  moment  he  met  the  eyes  of  the  dame. 

Popped  a  trumpet  into  her  ear: — 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  207 

"  There,  ma'am  !  try  it  ! 

You  needn't  hiiy  it — 
The  last  new  patent — and  nothing  comes  nigh  it, 
For  affording  the  deaf,  at  little  expense. 
The  sense  of  hearing,  and  liearing  of  sense  ! 
A  real  blessing — and  no  mistake, 
Invented  for  poor  linmanity's  sake; 
I  wouldn't  tell  a  lie,  I  wouldn't, 

But  my  trumpets  have  heard  what  Sbloynon's  couldn't; 
Only  a  guinea — and  can't  take  less'' 
(^'That's  very  dearl'  says  Dame  Eleanor  S.) 

"There  was  Mrs.  F., 

So  very  d^af, 
That  she  might  have  worn  a  percussion-cap, 
And  been  knocked  on  the  head  without  hearing  it  snh'p. 
Well,  I  sold  her  a  horn,  and  the  very  next  day 
She  heard  from  her  husband  at  Botany  Bay ! 
Come — speak  your  mind — it's  'No  or  Yes.'"  . 
(^' I've  half  a  mind,"  said  Dame  Eleanor  S.) 

"  Try  it — hiXy  it  ! 

BiXy  it — try  it  I 
The  last  new  patent,  and  nothing  comes  n%gh  it!' 
In  short,  the  peddler  so  bes^t  her — 
Lord  Bacon  couldn't  have  gammoued  her  better — 
With  flatteries  plump  and  indirect, 
And  plied  his  tongue  with  such  effect — 
A  tongue  that  could    almost  have  buttered  a  crumpet — 
The  deaf  old  woman  bought  the  trumpet. 

16.      CONVERSATION   UNDER   DIFFICULTIES. 

[Each  supposes  the  other  to  be  very  deaf,  the  pitch  at  times  running 
into  screaming.'] 

Jones.  (Speaking  shrill  and  loud.)  Miss,  will  you  ac- 
cept these  flowers  ?  I  plucked  them  from  their  slumber 
on  the  hill. 

Fru.     (In  an  equally  high  voice.)     Eeally  sir,  I — I — 


208  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Jones,  (Aside.)  She  hesitates.  It  must  be  that  she 
does  not  hear  me.  (Increasing  his  tone)  Miss,  will  you 
accept  these  flowers — flowers  ?  I  plucked  them  sleep- 
inor  on  the  hill — hill. 

o 

Pru.  (Also  increasing  her  tone)  Certainly,  Mr.  Jones. 
They  are  beautiful— beau-u-tiful. 

Jones.  (Aside.)  How  she  screams  in  my  ear.  (Aloud) 
Yes,  I  plucked  them  from  their  slumber — slumber,  oh 
the  hill — HILL. 

Pru.  (Aside.)  Poor  man,  what  an  effort  it  seems  for 
liim  to  speak.  (Aloud)  I  perceive  you  are  poetical. 
Are  you  fond  of  poetry  ?  (Aside.)  He  hesitates.  I 
must  speak  louder.  (In  a  screarn)  Poetry— poetry — 
POETEY ! 

Jones.  (Aside.)  Bless  me,  the  woman  would  wake  the 
dead  1     (Aloud)     Yes,  Miss,  I  ad-o-r-e  it. 

Snol.  Glorious !  glorious !  I  wonder  how  loud  they 
can  scream.     Oh,  vengeance,  thou  art  sweet ! 

PriL     Can  you  repeat  some  poetry — poetry  ? 

Jones.     I  only  know  one  poem.     It  is  this — 

You  'd  scarce  expect  one  of  my  age — Age, 
To  speak  in  public  on  the  stage— Stage. 

Pru.     Bravo — bravo  ! 

Jones.     Thank  you !     Thank 

Pru.     Mercy  on  us !     Do  you  think  I  'm  deaf,  sir  ? 

Jones.  And  do  you  fancy  me  deaf.  Miss  ?  (Natural 
tone) 

Pru.     Are  you  not,  sir  ?     You  surprise  me  I 

Jones.  1^0,  Miss.  I  was  led  to  believe  that  you  were 
deaf.     Snobbleton  told  me  so. 

Pru.  Snobbleton !  Why,  he  told  me  that  you  were 
deaf. 

Jones.     Confound    the    fellow !    he    has   been   making 

game    of   us.  Beadies  Dime  Speaker. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  209 

VI.     Examples  of  Low  Pitch. 

Low  pitch  is  the  characteristic  key  of  the  voice  when 
the  mind  is  under  the  influence  of  serious,  grave,  and 
impressive  thoughts ;  and  very  low  pitch  is  the  appro- 
priate key  for  the  expression  of  reverence,  adoration, 
horror,  and  despair. 

1.     ruoM  THE  "rime  of  the  ancient  mariner." 
An  orphan's  curse  would  drag  to  hell 

A  spirit  from  on  high; 
But  oh !   more  horrible  than  that 

Is  the  curse  in  a  dead  man's  eye  ! 
Seven  days,  seven  nights  I  saw  that  curse, 

And  yet  I  could  not  die. 

2.       FROM   THE    "raven." 

Deep   into   that   darkness   peering,    long   I    stood    there, 

wondering,  fearing. 
Doubting,   dreaming    dreams    no    mortal    ever    dared   to 

dream  before ; 
But   the   silence   was   unbroken,   and   the   stillness  gave 

no  token. 
And   the   only    word   there    spoken    was    the   whispered 

word  "  Lenore  ! " 
This   I   whispered,   and    an    echo    murmured    back    the 

word  *'  Lenore  ! " 

Merely  this,  and  nothing  more. 

3.       LAIJS   DEO. 

Let  us  knfeel ; 

God's  own  voice  is  in  that  peal. 
And  this  spot  is  holy  ground. 

Lord,  forgive  us  !     What  are  wfe, 

That  our  eyes  this  giory  see, 
That  our  ears  have  heard  the  sound  !       whittier. 

14 


210  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

4.      FROM   THE   PSALMS. 

He  bowed  the  heavens,  also,  and  came  down;  and 
darkness  was  under  his  feet ;  and  he  rode  upon  a  cherub, 
and  did  fly;  and  he  was  seen  upon  the  wings  of  the 
wind;  and  he  made  darkness  pavilions  round  about  him, 
dark  waters,  and  thick  clouds  of  the  skies. 

5.      THE   CHANDOS   PICTURE. 

The  bell  far  off  beats  midnight ;   in  the  dark 

The  sounds  have  lost  their   way,  and  wander  slowly 
Through  the  dead  air ;   beside  me   things  cry,  "  Hark ! " 
And  whisper  words  unholy.  edward  pollock. 

6.      THE   IRON   BELLS. 

Hear  the  tolling  of  the  bells — 
Iron  bells ! 
Wliat  a  world  of  solemn  thought  their  monody  compels! 
In  the  silence  of  the  night, 
How  we  shiver  with  affright 
At  the  melancholy  menace  of  their  tone ! 
For  every  sound  that  floats 
From  the  rust  within  their  throats 

Is  a  groan. 
And  the  people — ah,  the  people — 
They  that  dwell  up  in  the  steeple. 

All  alone  ! 
And  who  tolling,  tolling,  tolling. 

In  that  muffled  monotone, 
Feel  a  glory  in  so  rolling 

On  the  human  heart  a  stone ; 
They  are  neither  man  nor  woman — 
They  are  neither  brute  nor  human — 

They  are  ghouls ; 
And  their  king  it  is  who  tolls — 
And  he  rolls,  rolls,  rolls,  rolls, 
A  paean  from  the  bells ! 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  211 

And  his  merry  bosom  swells 
With  the  pseau  of  the  bells! 
And  he  dances  and  he  yells; 
Keeping  time,  time,  time, 
In  a  sort  of  Eunic  rhyme, 
To  the  paean  of  the  bells — 

Of  the  bells ! 
Keeping  time,  time,  time, 
In  a  sort  of  Eunic  rhyme, 
To  the  throbbing  of  the  bells — 

Of  the  bells,  laells,  bells— 
To  the  sobbing  of  the  bells; 
Keeping  time,  time,  time, 

As  he  knells,  knells,  knells, 
In  a  happy  Eunic  rhyme, 
To  the  rolling  of  the  bells — 

Of  the  bells,  bells,  bells. 
To  the  tolling  of  the  bells — 
Of  the  bells,  bells,  bells,  belis, 
Bells,  bells,  bells— 
To  the  moaning  and  the  groaning  of  the  bells  ! 

POE. 

VII.     Examples  of  Very  Low  Pitch. 

1.  Concerning  the  application  of  very  low  pitch  in 
reading  and  speaking,  Prof.  Eussell  remarks:  ''This  low- 
est form  of  pitch  is  one  of  the  most  impressive  means 
of  powerful  natural  effect,  in  the  utterance  of  all  deep 
and  impressive  emotions.  The  pervading  and  absorbing 
effect  of  awe,  amazement^  liorror,  or  any  similar  feeling, 
can  never  be  produced  without  low  pitch  and  deep  suc- 
cessive notes  ;  and  the  depth  and  reality  of  such  emotions 
are  always  in  proportion  to  the  depth  of  voice  with  which 
they  are  uttered.  The  grandest  descriptions  in  the  *  Par- 
adise Lost,'  and  the  profoundest  meditations  in  the 
'Night  Thoughts,'  become  trivial  in  their   eifect   on   the 


212  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

ear,  when  read  with   the  ineffectual  expression  insepara- 
ble from  the  pitch  of  ordinary  conversation  or  discourse. 

2.  "  The  vocal  deficiency  which  limits  the  range  of 
expression  to  the  middle  and  higher  notes  of  the  scale 
is  not,  by  any  means,  the  unavoidable  and  necessary 
fault  of  organization,  as  it  is  so  generally  supposed  to 
be.  Habit  is  in  this,  as  in  so  many  other  things,  th^ 
cause  of  defect.  There  is  truth,  no  doubt,  in  the  remark 
so  often  made  in  defense  of  a  high  and  feeble  voice, 
that  it  is  natural  to  the  individual,  or  that  it  is  difficult 
for  some  readers  to  attain  to  depth  of  voice  without 
incurring  a  false  and  forced  style  of  utterance.  Bat  in 
most  cases  it  is  habit,  not  organization,  that  has  made 
certain  notes  natural  or  unnatural — in  other  words, 
familiar  to  the  ear  or  tlie  reverse. 

3.  "The  neglect  of  the  lower  notes  of  the  scale,  and, 
consequently,  of  the  organic  action  by  which  they  are 
produced,  may  render  a  deep-toned  utterance  less  easy 
than  it  would  otherwise  be.  But  most  teachers  of  elo- 
cution are,  from  day  to  day,  witnesses  to  the  fact  that 
students,  from  the  neglect  of  muscular  action,  and  from 
all  the  other  enfeebling  causes  involved  in  sedentary 
habits  and  intellectual  application,  sometimes  commence 
a  course  of  practice  with  a  high-pitched,  thin,  and  fem- 
inine voice,  wliich  seems  at  first  incapable  of  expressing 
a  grave  or  manly  sentiment,  and,  in  some  instances, 
appears  to  forbid  the  individual  from  ever  attempting 
the  utterance  of  a  solemn  thought,  lest  his  treble  tone 
should  make  the  effect  ridiculous  ;  but  that  a  few  weeks' 
practice  of  vocal  exercise  on  bass  notes  and  deep  emo- 
tions, as  embodied  in  rightly  selected  exercises,  often 
enables  sucli  readers  to  acquire  a  round  and  deep-toned 
utterance,  adequate  to  the  fullest  effects  of  impressive 
eloquence. 

4.  "The  exercise  of  singing  bass,  if  cultivated  as  an 
habitual  practice,  has   a   great   effect  in  imparting   com- 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  213 

mand  of  deep-toned  expression  in  reading  and  speaking, 
Reading  and  reciting  passages  from  Milton  and  from 
Young,  and  particularly  from  the  Book  of  Psalms,  or 
from  hymns  of  a  deeply  solemn  character,  are  exercises 
of  great  value  for  securing  the  command  of  the  lower 
notes  of  the  voice." 

5.  In  the  following  exercises  the  movement  is  very 
slow,  the  pauses  are  very  long,  and  the  prevailing  inflec- 
tion the  grave  monotone. 

1.       THE    GRAVE. 

How  frightful  the  grave!   how  deserted  and  drear! 
With  the  howls  of  the  storm- wind,  the  creaks  of  the  Lier, 
And  the  white  bones  all  clattering  together] 

2.       THE   BELL  OF   THE   ATLANTIC. 

Toll,  toll,  toll,  thou  bell  by  billows  swung; 

And,   night   and    day,    thy    warning    words    repeat    with 

moiirnful  tongue ; 
Toll  for  the  queenly  boat,  wrecked  on  yon  rocky  shore ! 
Sea-w^eed  is  in  her  palace  walls;  she  rides  the  surge  no 

more.  mrs,  sigoueney. 

3.      THE   GHOST   IN   HAMLET, 

I  could  a  tale  unfold,  whose  lightest  word 

Would  harrow  up  thy  soul,  freeze  thy  young  ])lood. 

Make  thy  two  eyes  like  stars  start  from  their  spheres, 

Thy  knotted  and  combined  locks  to  part, 

And  each  particular  hair  to  stand  on  end, 

■     Like    quills    upon    the    fretful    porcupine.  Shakespeare. 

4.      DARKNESS. 

The  world  was  void : 
The  populous  |  and  the  powerful  |  was  a  liimp, 
Seasonless,  lierbless,  treeless,  manless,  lifeless ; 
A  liimp  of  death,  a  chaos  of  hard  clay. 
The  rivers,  lakes,  and  ocean,  all  |  stood  |  still, 


214  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

And  nothing  [  stirred  |  within  their  silent  depths. 

Ships,  sailorless,  lay  rotting  on  the  sea, 

And  their  masts  |  fell  down  |  piecemeal;  as  they  dropped  | 

They  slept  on  the  abyss,  without  a  surge — 

The  waves  |  were  dead ;    the  tides  |  were  in  their  grave ; 

The  moon,  their  mistress,  had  expired  before ; 

The  winds  |  were  withered  |  in  the  stagnant  air, 

And  the  clouds  |  perished :   Darkness  j  had  no  need  | 

Of  aid  I  from  them — she  |  was  the  universe.  byron. 

VIII.     Eecapitulation  of  Pitch. 

1.  Very  lovj  is  the  pitch  of  awe,  of  reverence,  of  solem- 
nity, of  melancJioly ,   horror,  and  despair. 

2.  Low  is  the  pitch  of  serious,  grave,  solemn,  and  im- 
2oressive  thoughts  and  feelings. 

3.  Middle  is  the  pitch  of  ordinary  conversation,  and 
of  unimpassioned  narrative,  descrip)tive,  or  didactic  com- 
position. 

4.  High  pitch  is  the  p)itch  of  courage,  boldness,  exulta- 
tion, ivonder,  and  anger,  and  of  shouting  or  calling. 

5.  Very  high  is  the  pitch  of  rapturous  emotion,  of  iin- 
controlldble  passion,  of  terror,  and  pain. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  211 


CHAPTEPw   V. 

QUALITY   OF   VOICE. 


Introductory. 


1.  Quality  of  voice  relates  to  the  kind  of  tone  used 
in  reading  or  speaking  in  order  to  express  varied 
thoughts  and  emotions. 

2.  The  ever-varying  intonations  of  a  rich  and  culti- 
vated voice  constitute  one  of  the  greatest  charms  of  a 
good  reader  or  speaker. 

3.  "  In  poetical  and  impassioned  language,"  says  Prof. 
Eussell,  *'  tones  are  often  the  most  prominent  and  the 
most  important  qualities  of  voice ;  and  to  give  these 
with  propriety,  force,  and  vividness,  is  the  chief  excel- 
lence of  good  reading  or  recitation. 

4.  "The  language  of  prose,  being  generally  less 
imaginative  and  exciting,  does  not  require  the  extent 
and  power  of  tone  used  in  poetry.  But  as  true  feeling 
is,  in  both  cases,  the  same  in  kind,  though  not  in  degree, 
and  as  no  sentiment  can  be  uttered  naturally  without 
the  tone  of  its  appropriate  emotion,  and  no  thought, 
indeed,  can  arise  in  the  mind  without  a  degree  of  emo- 
tion, a  great  importance  is  attached,  even  in  the  read- 
ing or  speaking  of  prose  composition,  to  those  qualities 
of  voice  comprehended  under  the  name  of  tones. 

5.  "  Without  these,  utterance  would  degenerate  into 
a  merely  mechanical  process  of  articulation.  It  is  these 
that  give  impulse  and  vitality  to  thought,  and  which 
constitute  the  chief  instruments  of  eloquence." 


216  school  elocution. 

Kinds  of  Tone. 

The  different  qualities  of  tone  may  be  classed  as 
follows  : 

1.    Pure  tone.  4.    The  Guttural. 

)>     ^  2.   The  Orotund.  5.    The  Falsetto. 

3.    The  Aspirated.  6.    The  Semitone. 

.     Of  these  divisions,  the  pure  tone  and  the  orotund  are 

the   most    important,    because  they   are    most    used    in 

reading. 

Faults  in  Quality. 

1.  Perhaps  the  most  common  fault  in  school  reading 
consists  in  using  one  uniform  tone  for  all  kinds  of 
selections. 

2.  This  hard,  thin,  high,  grating  quality  is  appropri- 
ately termed  the  ^'  school  tone." 

3.  The  faulty  habits  of  pupils  in  this  respect  are  best 
corrected  by  requiring  pupils  to  repeat  in  concert,  after 
the  teacher,  short  extracts  which  include  great  variations 
of  quality.  Many  timid  pupils  are,  at  first,  frightened 
at  the  sound  of  their  own  voices  in  any  other  tone  than 
the  conventional  school  tone. 

4.  Another  fault  is  the  tendency  to  the  nasal  tone. 
This  high,  thin,  sharp,  disagreeable  tone  is  produced  by 
forcing  the  breath  into  the  nose  before  it  leaves  the 
mouth,  and  this  fault  in  reading  is  the  result  of  not 
opening  the  mouth  sufficiently  in  reading.  It  may  be 
broken  up  by  persistent  drill  on  tlie  open  vowel  sounds, 
and  by  exercises  that  keep  the  voice  down  to  a  low  pitch. 

I.     Puke  Tone. 

1.  Pure  tone,  or  head  tone,  is  a  clear,  smooth  sound, 
so  formed  as  to  have  a  slight  resonance  in  the  head  or 
through  the  nasal  passages.  A  good  illustration  of  this 
quality  is  afforded  by  giving  the  sound  of  oo  as  in  moon, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  217 

prolonged  for  ten  seconds,  in  a  thin,  clear,  gentle  vocal 
sound,  on  a  moderately  liigli  pitch. 

2.  Pure  tone  is  used  in  all  quiet,  gentle,  subdued 
forms  of  utterance;  in  the  expression  of  pathos  and 
tenderness ;  in  ordinary  conversation  ;  in  unim passioned 
reading ;  and  in  the  prolonged  tones  of  shouting  or 
calling,  when  the  voice,  raised  to  a  high  pitch,  flows  in 
a  thin,  clear,  penetrating  volume. 

3.  "  The  production  of  pure  and  full  tone,"  says  Prof. 
William  Ptussell,  "is  the  common  ground  on  wliich  elo- 
cution and  vocal  music  unite,  in  elementary  discipline. 
Both  arts  demand  attention  to  appropriate  healthful 
attitude,  and  to  free,  expansive,  energetic  action  in  the 
organs. 

4.  "  Botli  require  erect  posture,  free  opening  of  the 
chest,  full  and  regular  breathing,  power  of  producing 
and  sustaining  any  degree  of  volume  of  voice,  and,  along 
with  these,  the  liabit  of  vivid,  distinct  articulation. 

5.  ''Both  equally  forbid  that  imperfect  and  laborious 
breathing  wliich  mars  the  voice,  exhausts  the  organs, 
and  produces  disease.  Both  tend  to  secure  that  healthy 
vigor  of  organ  which  makes  vocal  exercise,  at  once,  a 
source  of  pleasure  and  a  source  of  health." 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  Straight  mine  eye  hath  caught  new^  pleasures, 
While  the  landscape  round  it  measures. 

2.  0  that  this  lovely  vale  were  mine ! 

3.  0  then  I  see  Queen  Mab  hath  been  with  you  ! 

4.  Eejoice,  ye  men  of  Anglers;   ring  your  bdlls; 

Open  your  gates  to  give  the  victors  way. 

5.  Joy !  joy  forever !    my  task  is  done  ! 
G.    Ring,  joyous  chords !    ring  out  again ! 

7.    Hear  the  sledges  with  the  bells — silver  bells ! 


218  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

8.  Marley  was  dead,  to  begin  with.     There  is  no  doubt 
whatever  about  that. 

9.  Studies   serve   for   delight,   for    ornament,   and   for 
ability. 

10.  Has  there  any  old  fellow  got  mixed  with  the  lays  .^ 

11.  Listen,  my  children,  and  you  shall  hear 
Of  the  midnight  ride  of  Paul  Eevere. 

12.     BUGLE   SONG. 

0  hark,  O  hear !   how  thin  and  clear, 
And  thinner,  clearer,  farther  going; 
0  sweet  and  far,  from  cliff  and  scar, 
The  horns  of  Elf-land  Mntly  blowing! 
Blow;   let  us  hear  the  purple  glens  replying; 
Blow,  bugle;   answer,  echoes,  dying,  dying,  dying. 

Tennyson. 
13.      THE   BELLS. 

Hear  the  sledges  with  the  bells- 
Silver  bells ! 
What  a  world  of  merriment  their  melody  foretells  ! 
How  they  tinkle,  tinkle,  tinkle, 

In  the  icy  air  of  night! 
While  tlie  stars  that  oversprinkle 
All  the  heavens  seem  to  twinkle 

With  a  crystalline  delight ; 
Keeping  time,  time,  time. 
In  a  sort  of  Eunic  rhyme, 
To  the  tintinnabulation  that  so  musically .  wells 
From  the  bells,  bells,  bells,  bells. 
Bells,  bells,  bells  ; 
From  the  jingling  and  tlie  tinkling  of  the  bells.      poe. 

14.       SONG   ON   MAY   MOIINING. 

Now  the  bright  morning  Star,  day's  harbinger. 
Comes  dancinfi  from  the  East,  and  leads  with  her 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  219 

The  flowery  May,  who  from  her  green  lap  throws 
The  yellow  cowslip  and  the  pale  primrose. 
Hail,  bounteous  May,  that  dost  inspire 
Mirth,  and  youth,  and  warm  desire: 
Woods  and  groves  are  of  thy  dressing, 
Hill  and  dale  doth  boast  thy  blessing. 
Thus  we  salute  thee  with  our  early  song. 
And  welcome  thee,  and  wush  thee  long.  milton. 

15.      DRIFTING. 

The  day  so  mild  is  Heaven's  own  child. 
With  Earth  and  Ocean  reconciled ; 
The  airs  I  feel  around  me  steal 
Are  murmuring  to  the  murmuring  keel. 

Over  the  rail  my  hand  I  trail 

Within  the  shadow  of  the  sail; 

A  joy  intense — the  cooling  sense — 

Glides  down  my  drowsy  indolence./  read 

16.  TO   A   skylark:. 

Hail  to  thee,  blithe  spirit — 
Bird  tliou  never  wert — 
That  from  heaven,  or  near  it, 
Pourest  thy  full  heart 
In  profuse  strains  of  unpremeditated  art. 

Higher  still  and  higher. 
From  the  earth  thou  springest; 
Like  a  cloud  of  fire 
The  blue  deep  thou  wdngest, 
And  singing  still  dost  soar,  and  soaring  ever  singest. 

Shelley, 

17.  PASSING   AWAY. 

Was  it  the  chime  of  a  tiny  hell 

That  came  so  sweet  to  my  dreaming  ear, 

Like  the  silvery  tones  of  a  fairy's  shell, 

That  he  winds,  on  the  beach,  so  mellow  and  clear. 


220  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

When  the  winds  and  the  waves  lie  together  asUe^p, 

And  the  Moon  and  the  Fairy  are  watching  the  dee}')^ 

She  dispensing  her  silvery  light, 

And  he  his  notes  as  silvery  quite, 

While  the  boatman  listens  and  ships  his  oar, 

To  catch  the  music  that  comes  I'rom  the  shore  ? 

Harh !   the  notes  on  my  ear  that  play, 

Are  set  to  ivbrcls:   as  they  float,  they  say, 

"  Passing  away  !  passing  aivdy  !  "  pierpont. 

18.      EVE   OF   ELECTION. 

From  gold  to  gray,  our  mild,  sweet  day 
Of  Indian  summer  fades  too  soon; 

But  tenderly,  above  the  sea, 

Hangs,  white  and  calm,  the  hunter's  moon. 

In  its  pale  fire  the  village  spire 

Shows  like  the  zodiac's  spectral  lance ; 

The  painted  walls,  whereon  it  falls, 

Transfigured  stand  in  marble  trance !      whittilh. 

CoxcERT  Drill  on  Pure  Tone. 

1.  Repeat,  four  times,  the  long  vowels,  a,  e,  i,  5,  u : 

(1)  With  moderate  force,  pure  tone,  and  rising  inflection. 

(2)  With  soft  or  gentle  force.     (3)  With  liigh  pitch,  pure 
tone,  and  sustained  force. 

2.  Count  from  one  to  fifty:  (1)  With  quiet  conversa- 
tional tone  and  rising  inflection.     (2)   Falling  inflection. 

(3)  Circumflex  inflection.     (4)  The  monotone. 

3.  Give  the  sound  of  long  o,  prolonged   for   ten   sec- 
onds ;   of  a ;   of  e. 

4.  In  high  pitch,  and  thin,  clear,  pure  tone,  call  as  to 
persons  at  a  distance :   ho  !   ho  !   ho ! 

11.    The  Orotund. 
1.   The  orotxind  is  a  round,  deep,  full,  clear,  resonant 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  221 

cliest  tone  of  voice.  It  has  the  flow  and  fulhiess  of  an 
organ-peal.  It  is  the  tone  of  emotion,  excitement,  and 
passion. 

2.  The  orotund  has  the  smoothness  of  pure  tone,  but 
combines  it  with  a  much  heavier  volume  of  sound. 
The  swelling  tones  of  the  orotund  are  the  appropriate 
means  of  expressing  reverence,  awe,  sublimity,  grandeur, 
and  strong  feeling  or  passion.  It  prevails  in  oratorical 
declamation  and  in  the  reading  of  lyric  or  dramatic 
poetry. 

3.  The  prevailing  stress  of  the  orotund  is  the  median, 
changing,  however,  under  excitement,  into  the  radical. 

4.  In  the  orotund  utterance,  the  breathing  must  be 
full  and  deep,  to  insure  a  good  supply  of  breath;  the 
mouth  must  be  well  opened;  all  the  vocal  organs  must 
be  called  into  full  play ;  and  then,  in  harmony  with 
strong  emotions,  the  voice  swells  out  like  the  blast  of 
a  bugle  or  the  resonant  swell  of  an  organ. 

5.  The  three  degrees  of  the  orotund  may  be  distin- 
guished as  the  effusive,  the  expulsive,  and  the  explosive. 

Orotund  Drill. 

1.  Eepeat,  four  times,  in  monotone,  the  long  vocals, 
a,  e,  I,  5,  u. 

2.  Inhale  to  the  utmost  capacity  of  the  lungs  and 
then  give,  with  strong  swell  and  round  tone,  the  sound 
of  long  0,  prolonged  as  long  as  the  breath  will  allow. 

3.  Eepeat  four  times  the  following  vocals  :  e,  a,  ii,  a,  o,  o. 

4.    Lo  !   tlie  mighty  sun  looks  forth  ! 
Arm  !   thou  leader  of  the  north. 

5.   Awake !    Arise !    or  be  forever  fallen ! 

G.   Air,  earth,  and  sea,  resound  his  praise  abroad. 

7.    Eoll  on,  thou  deep  and  dark  blue  ocean,  roll. 
Ten  thousand  fleets  sweep  over  thee  in  vain. 


222  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

8.  Farewell,  a  long  farewell  to  all  my  greatness. 

9.  Hail !   holy  light,  offspring  of  Heaven  first-born ! 

10.  Liberty  !   freedom  !     Tyranny  is  dead  ! 

11.  It  thunders !   sons  of  dust,  in  reverence  bow ! 

12.  Hear  the  mellow  wedding  bells — golden  bells. 

13.  Hear  the  loud  alarum  bells — brazen  bells. 

14.  0  thoii  Eternal  One !   whose  presence  bright 
All  space  doth  occupy,  all  motion  guide, 
Unchanged  through  time's  all-devastating  flight; 
Thou  only  God !     There  is  no  God  beside ! 

Examples  of  Effusive  Orotund. 

1.       THE   ARSENAL. 

This  is  the  Arsenal.     From  floor  to  ceiling, 
Like  a  huge  organ,  rise  the  burnished  arms; 

But  from  their  silent  pipes  no  anthem  pealing. 
Startles  the  villages  |  with  strange  alarms. 

Ah !    what  a  sound  will  rise — how  wild  and  dreary — 
When  the  death-angel  touches  those  swift  keys! 

What  loud  lament  |  and  dismal  Miserere 
Will  mingle  |  with  their  awful  sym^lionies! 

I  hdar  even  nhw  \  the  infinite  fierce  clibrus, 
The  cries  of  agony,  the  endless  groan, 

Which,  through  the  ages  \  that  have  gone  before  us, 
In  long  reverherdtions  \  reach  our  bion.  Longfellow. 

2.      THE   OCEAN. 

The  armaments  \  which  thunderstrike  the  walls  | 
Of  rock-built  cities,  bidding  nations  quake. 

And  mdnarehs  \  tremble  in  their  capitals; 
The  oak  leviathans,  whose  huge  ribs  make  | 
Their  clay  creator  |  the  vain  title  take  | 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  223 

Of  lord  of  thee,  and  arbiter  of  ludr — 

These  \  are  thy  toys,  and,  as  the  snowy  Jldke, 
They  melt  into  thy  yeast  of  waves,  which  mar  | 
Alike  I  the  Armadas  pride,  or  spoils  of  Trafalglir. 

Byron. 
3.       HYMN   TO   MONT   BLANC. 

Ye  ice-falls !  ye  that  from  tlie  mountain's  brow  | 
Ad  own  enormous  ravines  slope  amain — 
Torrents,  methinks,  that  heard  a  mighty  voice, 
And  stopped  at  once  amid  their  maddest  plunge! 
Motionless  torrents  !   silent  cataracts ! 
Who  made  you  glorious  as  the  gates  of  heaven  \ 
Ijeneath  the  keen  full  moon  ?     Who  bade  the  sun  | 
Clothe  you  with  rainbows  ?     Who,  with  living  jioivers 
Of  loveliest  blue,  spread  ghrlands  at  your  feet  ? — 
G6d  !   let  the  torrents  like  a  shout  of  nations  \ 
Answer !   and  let  the  kc-plains  echo  :    God  ! 
God  !   sing,  ye  meadow-streams,  with  gladsome  voice ! 
Ye  pme-groves,  with  your  soft  and  soul-like  sounds ! 
And  they  too  have  a  voice,  yon  piles  of  snow, 
And  in  their  perilous  fall  |  shall  thunder :    God  I 

Coleridge. 
4.       THE   CHAMBERED   NAUTILUS. 

Build  thee  more  steely  mansions,  0  my  soul, 

As  the  swift  seasons  roll ! 

Leave  thy  low-vaulted  past  I 
Let  each  new  temple,  nobler  than  the  last. 
Shut  thee  from  heaven  with  a  dome  more  vast, 

Till  thou  at  length  art  frhe, 
Leaving  thine  outgrown  shell  by  life's  unresting  s^a ! 

Holmes. 
5.      FIIOM   THE  .rSALMS. 

Praise  ye  the  Lord.  Praise  ye  the  Lord  from  the 
heave7is ;  praise  him  in  the  heights.  Praise  ye  him,  all 
his  Angels :  praise  ye  him,  all  his  hbsts.  Praise  ye  him, 
sun  and  moon:  praise  him,  all  ye  stiXrs  of  light.     Praise 


224  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

him,  ye  heavens  of  liea'ocns,  and  ye  tvdters  that  be  above 
the  heavens.  Let  them  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord  : 
for  he  commanded,  and  they  were  created.  He  hath 
also  established  them  for  ever  and  ever :  he  hath  made  a 
decree  which  shall  not  pass.  Praise  the  Lord  from  the 
earth,  ye  dragons,  and  all  deeps:  fire,  and  hail;  snow, 
and  vctpors ;  stormy  wind  fulfilling  his  word:  mbitntains, 
and  all  hills;  fruitful  trees,  and  all  cedar's:  beasts,  and 
all  cctttle  ;  creeping  things,  and"  flying  fbwl :  kings  of  the 
earth,  and  all  people :  princes,  and  all  judges  of  the 
earth  :  botli  young  7neii  and  mhidens ;  old  men  and 
children.  Let  them  piraise  the  name  of  the  Lord :  for  his 
name  alone  is  excellent;  his  glory  is  above  the  earth 
and  heaven. 

6.     kvp:  of  election. 
Our  hearts  grow  cold,  we  lightly  hold 

A  right  which  brave  men  died  to  gain ; 
The  stake,  the  cord,  the  ax,  the  sword. 

Grim  nurses  at  its  birth  of  pain. 

The  shadow  rend,  and  o'er  us  bend, 

0  martyrs,  with  your  crowns  and  palms ! 

Breathe  through  these  throngs,  your  battle-songs, 
Your  scaffold  prayers  and  dungeon  psalms ! 

Whittier. 

Examples  of  Expulsive  Orotund. 

These   examples   are   to   be   rendered  with  a  stronger 
swell  than  those  imder  the  head  of  effusive  orotund. 

1.      LAUS   DEO. 

It  is  dhne  I 
Clang  of  bell  and  roar  of  gun 

Send  the  tidings  4p  and  dbivn. 
How  the  belfries  roch  and  riel, 
How  the  great  giins,  peal  on  peal, 

Fling  the  joy  from  tdwn  to  town  I  whittier. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION,  225 

2.      CHRISTMAS. 

Eing  but,  ye  crystal  spheres  ! 
Once  bless  our  human  ears, 

If  ye  have  power  to  touch  our  senses  so; 
And  let  your  silver  chime 
Move  in  melodious  time, 

And  let  the  bass  of  heaven^ s  deep  organ  blow; 
And  with  your  ninefold  harmony 
Make  uj)  fidl  consort  to  the  angelic  symphony. 

Milton. 

3.  THE    OCEAN. 

E511  on,  thou  deep  and  dark  bliie  Ocean — roll! 
Ten  thousand  fleets  |  sweep  over  tliee  in  vain ; 
Man  I  marks  the  earth  with  Q%in, — his  control  | 
Sto'ps  with  the  shore;   upon  the  watery  plain  | 
The  wrecks  are  all  tluj  deed,  nor  doth  remain  | 
A  shadow  of  man's  ravage,  save  his  own. 
When  for  a  moment,  like  a  drop  of  rain, 
He  sinks  into  thy  depths  |  with  biibbling  groan. 
Without  a  grave,  unknelled,  un coffined,  and  unknown. 

Byron. 

4.  THE   ORG  AX. 

Suddenly  the  notes  of  the  deep-laboring  organ  burst 
upon  the  ^ar,  falling  with  doubled  and  redoubled  inten- 
sity, and  rolling,  as  it  w^re,  huge  billows  of  sound. 
How  well  do  their  volume  and  grandeur  accord  with 
this  mighty  building  !  With  what  pomp  do  they  swell 
through  its  vast  vaults,  and  breathe  their  awful  har- 
mony through  these  caves  of  death,  and  make  the  silent 
s^pulcher  vocal !  And  now  they  rise  in  triumph  and 
acclamation,  heaving  higher  and  higher  their  accordant 
notes,  and  piling  sound  on  sound.  And  now  they  pause, 
and  the  soft  voices  of  the  choir  break  out  into  sweet 
gushes  of  melody;  they  soar  al6ft,  and  warble  along  the 
r6of,  and  seem  to  play  about  these  lofty  vaults  like  the 
pure   airs   of  hlaven.     Again   the  pealing   organ  heaves 

15 


226  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

its  tlirilling  thunders^  compressing  air  into  music,  and 
rolling  it  forth  upon  the  soul,  WJiat  long-drawn  ca- 
dences !  What  solemn,  siveepiyig  concords !  It  grows 
more  and  more  dense  and  powerful;  it  fills  the  vast 
inle,  and  seems  to  jar  the  very  ivalls ;  the  ear  is  stunned, 
the  senses  are  overwhelmed.  And  now  it  is  winding  np 
in  full  jubilee;  it  is  rising  from  the  earth  to  heaven; 
the  very  sbid  seems  rapt  away  and  floated  uioivards  on 
this  swelling  tide  of  harmony.  Irving. 

5.       PERORATION    OF   WEBSTER'S   PLYMOUTH    ROCK   ORATION. 

Advance,  then,  ye  future  generations  I  We  would  hail 
you,  as  you  rise  in  your  long  succession,  to  fill  the 
places  which  we  now  fill,  and  to  taste  the  blessings  of 
existence,  where  lue  are  'passing,  and  soon  shall  have 
passed,  our  own  human  duration.  We  bid  you  %oelcome 
to  this  pleasant  land  of  the  fathers.  We  bid  you  welcome 
to  the  healthful  slz\cs  and  the  verdant  fields  of  New  Eng- 
land. We  greet  your  accession  to  the  great  inheritance 
which  we  have  enjoyed.  We  welcome  you  to  the  bless- 
ings of  good  government  and  religious  hherty.  We  wel- 
come you  to  the  treasures  of  science,  and  the  delights 
of  learning.  We  welcome  you  to  the  transcendent  sweets 
of  domestic  life,  to  the  happiness  of  kindred,  and  parents, 
and  children.  We  welcome  you  to  the  immeasurable 
blessings  of  rational  existence,  the  immortal  hope  of 
Christianity,  and  the  light  of  everlasting  Truth  ! 

6.       GOD    IN   NATURE. 

"  God,"  sing  ye  meadow  streams,  with  gladsome  voice  ! 

Ye  pine  groves,  with  your  soft  and  soul-like  sounds  I 

Ye  living  flowers  that  skirt  the  eternal  frost ! 

Ye  wild  goats  sporting  round  the  eagle's  nest ! 

Ye  eagles,  playmates  of  the  mountain  storm  I 

Ye  lightnings,  the  dread  arrows  of  the  clouds ! 

Ye  signs  and  wonders  of  the  elements  1 

Utter  forth  *'  God,"  and  fill  the  hills  with  praise ! 

From  Coleridge's  Hymn  to  Mont  Blanc. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  227 

7.      A   NEW   year's   chime. 

Ho !  ye  wardens  of  the  bells, 

Biiig  !  ring  !  ring  ! 
Ring  for  winter's  bracing  hours, 
Ring  for  birth  of  spring  and  flowers, 
Ring  for  summer's  fruitful  treasure, 
Ring  for  autumn's  boundless  measure, 
Ring  for  hands  of  generous  giving, 
Ring  for  vows  of  nobler  living, 
Ring  for  truths  of  tongue  or  pen, 
Ring,  ''Peace  on  earth,  good-will  toward  men." 

Ring  !   ring  !  ring  ! 
Eing,  that  this  glad  year  may  see 
Earth's  accomplished  jubilee  ! 

Ring  !  ring  !  ring  I 

8.       PtEVEEENCE. 

0  Lord,  my  God,  Thou  art  very  great !  Thou  art 
clothed  with  honor  and  majesty;  who  coverest  thyself 
with  light  as  with  a  garment;  wdio  stretchest  out  the 
heavens  like  a  curtain;  who  layeth  the  beams  of  his 
chambers  in  the  waters ;  who  maketh  the  clouds  his 
chariot;  who  walketh  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind; 
who  laid  tlie  foundations  of  the  earth,  that  it  should 
not  be  removed  forever.  ihe  Biue. 

•Examples  of  Explosive  Orotund. 

1.       THE   BATTLE   OF   IVRY. 

Now  glory  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  from  whom  all  glories 
are ! 

And  glory  to  our  Sovereign  Liege^  King  Henry  of  Na- 
varre ! 

Now  let  there  be  the  merry  sound  of  miXsic  and  the 
dance  y 

Through  thy  cornfields  grfeen,  and  sunny  v^les,  0  pleas- 
ant land  of  Frhnce  ! 


228  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

And  thou,  Eochfelle,  our  own  Kochelle,  proud  city  of  the 

waters, 
Again   let    rctpture   light    the    eyes   of  all   thy   mourning 

daughters ; 
As  thou  wert  constant  in  our  ills,  be  joyous  in  our  joy, 
For  cold  and  stiff  and  still  are  they   who   wrought  thy 

walls  annoy. 
Hurrah !  hurrhh !  a  single  field  hath  turned  the  chance 

of  war. 
HuTTCih  !  liurrhh  I  for  Ivry  and  King  Henry  of  Navhrrc  1 

MA.CAULAY. 
2.       IlICHMOND   TO   HIS   TROOPS. 

Fight,  gentlemen  of  England  !  fight,  bold  yeomen  I 
Drhu\  archers,  draw  your  arrows  to  the  head: 
Spur  your  proud  horses  hb^rd,  and  ride  in  hlbod  ; 
Amaze  the  welkin  with  your  broken  staves. 
A  thousand  hearts  are  great  within  my  bosom : 
Advance  our  stdindards,  set  upon  our  foes  ! 
Our  ancient  word  of  courage,  fair  St.  George, 
Inspire  us  with  the  spleen  of  fiery  dragons ! 
Uipon  them !      Victory  sits  on  our  helms.      Shakespeare. 

3.  INDEPENDENCE. 

The  great  bell  swung  as  ne'er  before : 
It  seemed  as  it  would  never  cease ; 
And  every  word  its  ardor  flung 
From  off  its  jubilant  iron  tongue 

Was,  «  War !   Wak  !   WAE  ! "  r^^. 

4.  INDEPENDENCE. 

Sir,  before  Ghd,  I  believe  the  hour  is  cbnie  I  Mj  judg- 
ment apjproves  this  measure,  and  my  whole  heart  is  in 
it.  All  that  I  hdve,  and  all  that  I  dm,  and  all  that  I 
hbpe,  in  this;  life,  I  am  now  ready  here  to  stdhe  upon  it ; 
and  I  leave  off,  as  I  hegdn,  that,  live  or  die,  survive  or 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  229 

perish,  I  am  for  the  declaration  I  It  is  my  living  senti- 
ment, and,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  it  shall  be  my  dying 
sentiment — Independence  now,  and  independence  \  forever  ! 

Webster. 

Explosive  and  Expulsive  Orotund. 

These  two  forms  of  the  orotund  are  often  combined 
in  the  same  piece,  and  it  is  not  easy  to  draw  a  marked 
line  of  division.  In  impassioned  declamation  the  utter- 
ance changes  from  one  to  the  other,  according  to  the 
degree  of  feeling  or  passion.  The  following  extract 
affords  an  illustration : 

1.     Webster's  tribute  to  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  President,  I  shall  enter  on  no  encomium  upon 
Massachusetts;  she  needs  none.  There  she  is;  behold 
her,  and  judge  for  yourselves.  There  is  her  history; 
the  world  knows  it  by  heart.  The  past,  at  least,  is  secure. 
There  is  Boston,  and  Concord,  and  Lexington,  and 
Bunker  Hill ;  and  there  they  will  remain  forever.  The 
bones  of  hei'  sons,  fallen  in  the  great  struggle  for  Inde- 
pendence, now  lie  mingled  with  the  soil  of  every  State, 
from  New  England  to  Georgia ;  and  there  they  will  lie 
forever. 

And,  sir,  where  American  Liberty  raised  its  first  voice, 
and  where  its  youth  was  nurtured  and  sustained,  there 
it  still  lives,  in  the  strength  of  its  manhood,  and  full  of 
its  original  spirit.  If  discord  and  disunion  shall  loound 
it ;  if  party  strife  and  blind  ambition  shall  haiuk  at  and 
tear  it;  if  folly  and  rnddness,  if  uneasiness  under  salu- 
tary and  necessary  restraint,  shall  succeed  in  separating 
it  from  that  Union  by  which  alone  its  existence  is  7nade 
sure — it  will  stand,  in  the  end,  by  the  side  of  that  cradle 
in  which  its  infancy  icas  rhcked ;  it  will  stretch  forth  its 
arm,  with  whatever  of  vigor  it  may  still  retain,  over  the 
friends  who  gather  rbund  it;   and  it  will  fall  at  lltst,  if 


230 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


fall   it   must,  amid   the   'proudest   monuments  of  its   own 
glory,  and  on  the  veiy  spot  of  its  origin. 


Y 


III.    Aspirated  Quality. 


Aspirated  qualitg  means,  in  general,  a  combination  of 
tone  with  whisper,  causing  the  huskiness  and  harshness 
produced  by  a  superabundance  of  breath  under  the  in- 
fluence of  powerful  emotions,  such  as  anger,  rage,  terror, 
and  horror.  The  whisper  represents  the  extreme  of 
aspirated  quality. 

The  Whisper. 

The  pure  whisper  lies  half  way  between  breathing 
and  Yocality.  The  half-whisper  is  a  combination  of 
tone  and  whisper.  The  forcible  whisper  is  a  most  val- 
uable vocal  exercise.  It  requires  full,  deep,  and  frequent 
breatliing,  and  the  vigorous  use  of  the  lips,  tongue,  and 
other  vocal  organs.  The  degrees  of  force  in  the  whisper 
are  indicated  by  the  terms  effusive,  expulsive,  and  ex- 
plosive. 

The  pure  whisper  is  rarely  used  in  reading,  the  effect 
being  generally  suggested  by  the  half- whisper,  or  by  aspi- 
rated quality.  The  following  exercises  and  examples  are 
given  for  the  purposes  of  vocal  training. 

Table  of  Aspirates. 

[Fwst  ichisper  the  words,  then  the  aspirates,  and  then  give  the  2^honic 
spelling  of  each  icord  in  a  forcible  ^vJiisj^er.] 


p 

p-i-pe, 

li-p 

t 

t-en-t. 

t-as-te 

wh 

wh-en, 

wh-y 

ch 

ch-ur-cli. 

bir-ch 

f 

f-i-fe, 

lea-f 

sh 

sh-all, 

la-sh 

th 

th-ick, 

my-th 

h 

h-ow, 

]i-ail 

s 

s-ale. 

le-ss 

k 

€a-ke, 

la-ke 

school  elocution.  231 

Whisper  Drill. 

Practice  each  exercise  with  three  degrees  of  force :  (1) 
Effusive,  or  soft.  (2)  Expulsive,  or  forcible.  (3)  Explo- 
sive,  or  intense. 

1.  With  effusive  force,  repeat  as  many  times  as  pos- 
sible without  taking  breath :    a-e-I~o-u. 

2.  To  a,  e,  i,  o,  ii,  join  /,  and  repeat  as  above ;  join 
t;  join  h. 

3.  Count,  in  a  whisper,  from  one  to  ten,  with  one 
breath ;  from  one  to  twenty ;  one  to  thirty,  or  moj-e. 

Examples  of  Effusive  Whisper. 

1.  Step  softly,  and  speak  low. 

2.  Whisper  I  she  is  going  to  her  final  rest. 
Whisper!  life  is  growing  dim  within  her  breast. 

3.  Hark !  hist !  around  I  list. 

The  bounds  of  space  all  trace  efface 
Of  sound. 

4.  And  his  little  daughter  whispered, 

As  she  took  his  icy  hand : 
"  Is  n't  God  upon  the  water, 
Just  the  same  as  on  the  land  ? " 

5.  And  again  to  the  child  I  whispered: 

"  The  snow  that  husheth  all. 
Darling,  the  merciful  Father     . 
Alone  can  make  it  fall  I " 

6.  And  the  bridemaidens  whispered  :  "  'Twere  better  by  far, 
To  have  matched  our  fair  cousin  ivith  young  Lochinvar!' 

7.    The  red  rose  cries,  "She  is  near,  she  is  near;" 
And  the  white  rose  Aveeps,  "She  is  late;" 
The  larkspur  listens,  "  I  hear,  I  hear ; " 
And  the  lily  whispers,  "I  Avait." 


232  school  elocution. 

Examples  of  Expulsive  Whisper. 

1.  Or  whispering  with  white  lips,  "  The  foe !  they 
come  I  they  come  1 " 

2.  To  bed,  to  bed ;  there 's  knocking  at  the  gate. 
Come,  come,  come,  give  me  your  hand. 

3.  Soldiers!  You  are  now  within  a  few  steps  of  the 
enemy's  outposts.  Let  every  man  keep  the  strictest 
silence,  under  pain  of  instant  death. 

Examples  of  Explosive  Whisper. 

1.  Hark !  I  hear  the  bugles  of  the  enemy.  For  the 
boats  !     FoTiuarcl  !     Fonvarcl  !   ■ 

2.    Hamlet.     Saiv  !  iclio  1 

Horatio.     The  king,  your  father. 
Haralet.     The  king,  my  father  ? 

3.    Art  thou  some  god,  some  angel,  or  some  clevil, 

That  mak'st  my  blood  run  cold  and  my  hair  to  stand! 

Whisper  and  Tone. 

In  some  of  the  following  illustrations  of  aspirated 
quality,  the  lohisper  predominates  over  tone;  in  others, 
the  aspiration  only  affects  the  tone  with  a  marked 
roughness,  huskiness,  or  aspirated  harshness.  The  extent 
to  wliich  aspirated  quality  may  be  applied  is  often  a 
matter  of  taste  on  the  part  of  the  reader. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  But  hush !  hark !  a  deep  sound  strikes  like  a  rising 
knell. 

2.       THE   CURFEW   BELL. 

''  Sexton,"  Bessie's    white   lips   faltered,   pointing   to   the 

prison  old, 
With  its  walls  so  dark  and  gloomy — walls  so  dark,  and 

damp,  and  cold — 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  233 

"  I  Ve    a   lover  in   that   prison,  doomed   this  very  night 

to  die, 
At  the  ringing  of  the  Curfew,  and  no  earthly  help  is  nigh. 
Cromwell  will  not   come  till  sunset,"  and  her  face  grew 

strangely  white, 
As  she  spoke  in  husky  whispers,  "  Curfew  must  not  ring 

to-night  y 

3.       MACBETH    TO    THE   GHOST. 

Avhnnt !  and  quit  my  sight  I     Let  the  earth  hide  thee ! 
Thy  bones  are  marroiuless,  thy  blood  is  cold: 
Thou  hast  no  speculation  in  those  eyes 
Which  thou  dost  glhre  with ! 

Hence,  horrible  shd^dow  ! 
Unreal  mockery,  hence  ! 

4.       HAMLET   TO   THE   GHOST. 

[Aspirated  quality  and  occasional  half-wliis2Kr.\ 

Angels  and  ministers  of  grhce  defend  us  ! 

Be  thou  a  spirit  of  health,  or  goblin  damned — 

Bring  with  thee  airs  from  hdaven,  or  blasts  from  hfell — 

Be  thy  intents  wicked,  or  charitable — 

Thou  com'st  in  such  a  questionable  shape 

That  I  ivill  speak  to  thee.     I'll  call  thee,  Hamlet, 

King,  father,  royal  Dane :  Oh,  answer  me : 

Let  me  not  hurst  in  ignorance !   but  tell 

Why  thy  canonized  bones,  hearsdd  in  death, 

Have  burst  their  cerements !   ivhy  the  sepulcher, 

Wherein  we  saw  thee  quietly  inurned. 

Hath  oped  his  ponderous  and  marble  jaws, 

To  cast  thee  up  again  ?     What  may  this  mean. 

That  thou,  dead  corse,  again,  in  complete  steel, 

Eevisit'st  thus  the  glimpses  of  the  moon. 

Making  night  hideous :    and  we  fools  of  nature, 

So  horribly  to  shake  our  disposition. 

With  thoughts  beyond  the  reaches  of  our  souls  ? 

Say,  li'hy  is  this?    ivherefore'?   what  should  we  do  f 


234  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

5.      FROM     "EUGENE   ARAM." 

[Horror  and  remorse.     Aspirated  pectoral  and  guttural  quality. \ 

And,  lo !   the  universal  air 

Seemed  lit  with  ghastly  flame ; — 

Ten  thousand  thousand  dreadful  eyes 
Were  looking  down  in  blame: 

I  took  the  dead  man  by  his  hand, 
And  called  upon  his  name  ! 

0  God !    it  made  me  quake  to  see 
Such  sense  within  the  slain ! 

But  when  I  touched  the  lifeless  clay, 

The  blood  gushed  out  amain ! 
For  every  clot,  a  burning  spot 

Was  scorching  in  my  brain ! 

And  now,  from  forth  the  frowning  sky, 
From  the  heaven's  topmost  height, 

1  heard  a  voice — the  awful  voice 
Of  the  blood-avenging  sprite  : — 

"  Thou  guilty  man  !  tahe  up  thy  dead 

And  hide  it  from  my  sight  I "  hood. 

6.       MACBETH. 

[Horror  and  fear.      Intense   sujjpressed   force ;   prevailing   monotone ; 
very  slow  movement;  strong  aspirated  quality.] 

N5w  o'er  the  one  half  world 
Nature  seems  dfead ;    and  wicked  dreams  abuse 
The  ciirtained  slfeep ;   n5w  witchcraft  celebrates 
Pale  Hecate's  offerings ;   and  withered  murder, 
Alarumed  by  his  sentinel,  the  wolf, 
Wh5se  howl's  his  -watch,  thus  with  his  stealthy  pace, 
Tow^ards  his  desim 

o 

Moves  like  a  ghost. — Th5u  siire  and  firm-set  earth  ! 
Hear  n5t  my  steps,  which  way  they  walk;   for  I'ear 
The  very  stones  prate  of  my  whereabout, 
And  take  the  present  horror  from  the  time 
Which  now  siiits  witli  it. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  235 

7.      DAKIUS    GREEN   AND   HIS   FLYING   MACHINE. 

[Secrecy.     Forcible  ivMsper  and  half -whisper.'] 

And  one  by  one,  through  a  hole  in  the  wall, 
In  under  the  dusty  barn  they  crawl, 
Dressed  in  tlieir  Sunday  garments  all ; 
And  a  very  astonishing  sight  was  that, 
AVhen  each  in  his  cobwebbed  coat  and  hat 
Came  up  through  the  floor  like  an  ancient  rat. 

And  there  they  hid; 

And  Eeuben  slid 
The  fastenings  back,  and  the  door  undid. 

"  Keep  dark  ! "  said  he, 
"While  I  squint  an    see  what  the'  is  to  see." 

''  Hush  !  "  Eeuben  said, 

"He's  up  in  the  shed! 
He 's  opened  the  winder — I  see  his  head ! 
He  stretches  it  out,  an'  pokes  it  about, 
Lookin'  to  see  'f  the  coast  is  clear. 

An'  nobody  near; — 
Guess  he  don'  o'  who  's  hid  in  here ! 
He 's  riggin'  a  spring-board  over  the  sill ! 
Stop  laffin',  Solomon  !     Burke,  keep  still ! 
He 's  a-climbing  out  now — Of  all  the  things  ! 
What 's  he  got  on  ?     I  van,  it 's  wings  ! 
An'  that  't  other  thing?     I  vum,  it's  a  tail! 
An'  there  he  sets  like  a  liawk  on  a  rail! 
Steppin'  careful,  he  travels  the  length 
Of  his  spring-board,  and  teeters  to  try  its  strength. 
Kow  he  stretches  his  wings,  like  a  monstrous  bat; 
Peeks  over  his  shoulder,  this  way  an'  that, 
Fer  to  see  'f  there  's  any  one  passin'  by ; 
But  there's  on'y  a  ca'f  an'  a  goslin'  nigh. 

Flop — flop — an'  plump 

To  the  ground  with  a  thump, 
Flutterin'  and  flounderin'  all  in  a  lump."        tkowbridge. 


236 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


Special  Aspirate  Drill. 

[In  2^'i^onouncing  the  following  words  having  the  comhination  hw, 
the  aspiration  is  often  very  feebly  given  or  not  given  at  all.  Soiond 
the  hw  with  marked  force.'] 


way 

whey 

w^et 

whet 

wear 

ivliere 

wdt 

ivhit 

weal 

wheel 

wot 

what 

wen 

ivhen 

wig 

whig 

were 

whir 

Avield 

wheeled 

wine 

whine 

w^itch 

which 

wight 

white 

wist 

whist 

wile 

vjhile 

weather 

lohether 

Pronunciation 

Drill. 

[Keep  the 

lungs  ivell  filled  icith  air 

and   exhaust 

the    breath    upon 

each  word.] 

whale 

whalebone 

whatever 

whap 

whapper 

whatsoever 

wharf 

wharfage 

wheelbarrow 

wheat 

what-not 

wheel-horse 

wheeze 

wheezing 

wheelwright 

whelp 

w^iereas 

whensoever 

whelm 

wherever 

w^heresoever 

whence 

whenever 

whereabout 

whew 

whereby 

whereunto 

whiff 

wherefore 

wherewithal 

whim 

whiffle 

whimper 

whip 

whinny 

Avhipsaw 

whir 

whirlwind 

whirligig 

whirl 

whistle 

whisper 

whisk 

whittle 

whizzing 

white 

w^hither 

whoa 

SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  237 

IV.     Guttural  Quality. 

The  guttural,  or  throat,  quality  is  the  harsh,  grating, 
rasping  utterance  to  which  the  voice  tends  in  the  ex- 
pression of  hatred,  contempt,  revenge,  and  loathing.  It 
is  often  combined  with  aspirated  quality  in  the  expres- 
sion of  extreme  impatience  or  disgust,  intense  rage,  and 
extreme  contempt. 

EXAMPI.ES. 

1.  OTHELLO. 

Oh,  that  the  slave  had  forty  thousand  lives, 
My  great  revenge  had  stomach  for  them  all. 

2.  THE   SPY. 

You  shall  die,  base  dog  I  and  that  before 
Yon  cloud  has  passed  over  the  sun  I 

3.      SHYLOCK   TO   ANTONIO. 

^        Signior  Antonio,  mdnT/  a  time  and  6ft, 
On  the  Eialto  you  have  rated  me 
About  my  mdneys  and  my  ilsances ; 
Still  have  I  home  it  with  a  patient  shrilg, 
For  sufferance  is  the  badge  of  all  our  tribe : 
You  call  me — misbeliever,  cut-throat,  dog, 
And  spit  upon  my  Jewish  gaberdine. 
And  all  for  use  of  that  which  is  7nine  own. 
Well,  then,  it  now  appears,  you  need  my  help. 
Go  to,  thfen ;  you  come  to  me,  and  you  say, 
"Shylock,  we  would  have  moneys;''  you  say  so; 
You,  that  did  void  your  rheum  upon  my  heard, 
And  foot  me  as  you  spurn  a  stranger  cvir 
Over  your  threshold;  moneys  is  your  suit. 
What  should  I  say  to  you?     Should  I  not  say, 
"Hath  a  clog  money ^  is  it  possible 
A  cur  can  lend  three  thousand  cMcatsV  or 
Shall  I  bend  low,  and  in  a  hondman's  key, 
With  bated  breath,  and  whispering  humbleness, 


238  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Say  tins:  — 

"  Fair  sir,  you  spat  on  me  on  Wednesday  last ; 
You  spurned  me  such  a  day ;  another  time 
You  called  me — dog ;  and  for  these  courtesies 
I'll  lend  you — thus  Wiitch — moneys^ 

V.    The  Falsetto. 

The  falsetto  is  the  thin,  sharp,  lugh-pitched  tone  pro- 
duced when  the  voice  hreahs,  or  gets  above  its  natural 
compass.  It  is  used  by  men  when  they  imitate  the  voices 
of  women  and  children.  It  is  the  tone  suitable  for  the 
expression  of  old  age,  sickness,  feebleness,  pain,  and 
helpless  terror. 

1.    ''My  child!  my  child!''  with  sobs  and  tears, 
She  shrieked  upon  his  callous  ears. 

2.  "  Billy — where  are  you,  Billy,  I  say  ?  Come,  Billy, 
come  home  to  your  best  of  mothers  1 " 

3.  And  even  Tiny  Tim,  excited  by  the  two  young 
Cratchits,  beat  on  the  table  with  the  handle  of  his  knife, 
and  feebly  cried,  ''Hurrah!" 

4.    Mr.  Orator  Puff  had  two  tones  in  his  voice. 

The  one  squeaking  thus,  and  the  other  down  so; 
In  each  sentejice  he  uttered  he  gave  you  your  choice ; 
For  one  half  was  B  alt,  and  the  rest  G  below. 
Oh  !  oh  !  Orator  Puff, 
One  voice  for  an  orator's  surely  enough! 

"  Oh !  save ! "  he  exclaimed,  in  his  he-and-she  tones, 
"  Help  me  out !  help  me  out !  I  have  broken  my  bones  ! " 
"  Help  you  out ! "  said  a  stranger,  who  passed,  "  what 

a  bother! 
Why,  there 's  two  of  you  there ;   can 't  you  help  one 
another  ? " 

Oh  !  oh  !  Orator  Puff, 

One  voice  for  an  orator 's  surely  enough ! 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  239 

5.   And  in  a  coaxing  tone  he  cries, 
''Chared!  chared!'' 
And  baby  with  a  laugh  replies, 
''  Ah,  go  !  Ah,  go  !  " 
''Chared!''— ''Ah,  go!" 

VI.    The  Semitone. 

When  the  voice  slides  through  the  interval  of  a  semi- 
tone only,  it  gives  the  plaintive  tones  expressive  of 
sadness,  grief,  or  pathetic  entreaty.  If  the  inflection 
runs  through  the  interval  of  a  tone  and  a  half — a  minor 
third  in  music — it  becomes  more  plaintive,  and  marks 
a  stronger  degree  of  pathos  or  sadness;  and  when  the 
inflection  extends  into  the  minor  fifth,  it  denotes  still 
stronger  pathetic  feeling. 

The  semitone,  then,  is  the  plaintive  tone  in  reading, 
corresponding  to  the  minor  key  in  music.  It  should  be 
used  delicately,  for,  in  excess,  it  runs  into  the  whine, 
or  becomes  the  affectation  of  cant. 

Semitone  Drill. 

1.  Sound  the  vocals,  a,  e,  i,  5,  u,  three  times,  on  the 
interval  between  C  and  C  sharp ;  then  on  the  minor 
third;  then  on  the  minor  fifth. 

2.  Count  from  one  to  twenty  on  the  same  notes  as 
above. 

Examples  of  Semitone. 

1.    0  come  in  life,  or  come  in  death, 
0  lost !   my  love,  Elizabeth. 

2.  Eor  I  am  poor  and  miserably  old. 

3.  How  many  hired  servants  of  my  father's  have 
bread  enough  and  to  spare,  and  I  perish  with  hunger ! 
I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father  and  wdll  say  to  him, 


240  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

"Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven  and  before  thee, 
and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son :  make 
me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants ! " 

4.       MY   CHILD. 

I  can  not  make  him  dead  ! 

His  fair  sunshiny  head 
Is  ever  bounding  round  my  study  chair; 

Yet,  when  my  eyes,  now  dim 

With  tears,  I  turn  to  him, 
The  vision  vanishes,  he  is  not  there! 

I  walk  my  parlor  floor. 

And,  through  the  open  door, 
I  hear  a  footfall  on  the  chamber  stair ; 

I  'm  stepping  toward  the  hall 

To  give  the  boy  a  call; 
And  then  bethink  me  that  he  is  not  there  ! 

PlERPONT. 

5.     Hiawatha. 
0  the  long  and  dreary  Winter ! 
O  the  cold  and  cruel  Winter! 
Ever  thicker,  thicker,  thicker 
Froze  the  ice  on  lake  and  river; 
Ever  deeper,  deeper,  deeper 
Fell  the  snow  o'er  all  the  landscape. 
Fell  the  covering  snow,  and  drifted 
Through  the  forest,  round  the  village. 

0  the  famine  and  the  fever ! 

O  the  wasting  of  the  famine  I 

O  the  blasting  of  the  fever! 

O  the  wailing  of  the  children ! 

0  the  anguish  of  the  women ! 

All  the  earth  w^as  sick  and  famished ; 

Hungry  w^as  the  air  around  them. 

Hungry  was  the  sky  above  them, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  241 

And  the  hungry  stars  in  heaven 

Like  the  eyes  of  wolves  glared  at  theml 

"Give  your  children  food,  0  Father! 

Give  us  food,  or  we  must  perish  ! 

Give  me  food  for  Minnehalia, 

For  my  dying  Minnehaha!" 

Through  the  far-resounding  forest, 

Througli  the  forest  vast  and  vacant 

Eang  that  cry  of  desolation ; 

But  there  came  no  other  answer 

Than  the  echo  of  his  crying, 

Than  the  echo  of  the  woodlands, 

"  Minnehaha  !  Minnehaha  !  "  Longfellow. 

6.       BABIE   BELL. 

It  came  upon  us  by  degrees, 

We  saw  its  shadow  ere  it  fell, 
The  knowledge  that  our  God  had  sent 

His  messenger  for  Babie  Bell. 

We  shuddered  with  unlanguaged  pain, 
And  all  our  thoughts  ran  into  tears. 

Like  sunshine  into  rain. 

We  cried  aloud  in  our  belief, 
"  Ohy  smite  its  gently,  gently,  God  ! 
Teach  us  to  tend  and  kiss  the  rod^ 

And  'perfect  grow  through  griefs 
Ah,  how  we  loved  her,  God  can  tell ; 

Her  heart  ivas  folded  deep  in  ours ; 
Oar  hearts  are  hrohen,  Bahie  Bell.  aldrich. 


To-morrow,  and  to-morrow,  and  to-morrow, 
Creeps  in  this  petty  pace  from  day  to  day 
To  the  last  syllable  of  recorded  time, 
And  all  our  yesterdays  have  lighted  fools 

The    way   to    dusty    death.  Shakespeare. 

16 


242  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

8.     NEW  year's  eve. 
You  '11  bury  me,  my  mother,  just  beneath  the  hawthorn 

shade ; 
And  you  '*11   come   sometimes   and   see   me  wliere   I   am 

lowly  laid. 
I  shall  not  forget  you,  mother;  I  shall  hear  you  when 

you  pass, 
With  your  feet  above  my  head  in  the  long  and  pleasant 

grass. 

Good-night,  good-night!     When  I  have  said   good-night 

for  evermore, 
And  you  see  me  carried  out  from  the   threshold   of  the 

door, 
Do  n't  let  Effie  come  to  see  me  till  my  grave  be  growing 

green — 
She  '11  be  a  better  child  to  you  than  ever  I   have  been. 

Tennyson's  May  Queen. 

9.    FROM  "bertha  in  the  lane." 
[This  extract   should    he  read   with   subdued  force,  slovj  movement, 
and  prevailing  poetic  monotone  and  semitone.l 

Colder  grow  my  hands  and  feet; — 
When  I  wear  the  shroud  I  made. 

Let  the  folds  lie  straight  and  neat, 
And  the  rosemary  be  spread; — 

That  if  any  friend  should  come 

(To  see  thee,  sweet !),  all  the  room 
•  May  be  lifted  out  of  gloom. 

And,  dear  Bertha,  let  me  keep 

On  my  hand  this  little  ring — 
Wliich  at  nights,  when  others  sleep, 

I  can  still  see  glittering. 
Let  me  wear  it  out  of  sight. 
In  the  grave — where  it  will  light 
All  the  dark  up,  day  and  night. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  243' 

On  that  grave  drop  not  a  tear ! 

Else,  though  fathom-deep  the  place, 
Through  the  woolen  shroud  I  wear 

I  shall  feel  it  on  my  face. 
Eather  smile  there,  blessed  one. 
Thinking  of  me  in  the  sun; 
Or  forget  me— smiling  on  !  e.  b.  browning. 


VII.    Eecapitulation  of  Quality. 

1.  Pure  tone  is  the  tone  of  ordinary  conversation,  and 
of  2inimpassioned  didactic,  narrative^  or  descriptive  reading. 

2.  The  orotund  is  the  to7ie  expressive  of  deep  feeling, 
of  reverence,  of  suhlimity,  and  of  grandeur.  It  prevails 
in  oratorical  declamation,  and  in  the  reading  or  recita- 
tion  of  lyric  or  chromatic  poetry, 

3.  Aspirated  quality  is  expixssive  of  secrecy,  feebleness, 
terror,  horror,  and  amazement, 

4.  Guttural  quality  is  expressive  of  disgust,  impatience, 
hatred,  and  revenge. 

0.  The  semitone  is  the  plaintive  expression,  in  the  minor 
hey,  of  pathos,  pity,  grief  or  entreaty. 

Examples  of  Quality. 

PURE   TONE. 

Was  it  the  chime  of  a  tiny  bell 
That  came  so  sweet  to  my  dreaming  ear? 
orotund. 

1.  Build  thee  more  stately  mansions,  O  my  soul ! 

2.  And  let  the  bass  of  heaven's  deep  organ  blow. 

WHISPER. 

To  bed,  to  bed;   there's  knocking  at  the  gate. 
Come,  come,  come,  give  me  your  hand. 


244  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

ASPIRATED. 

Angels,  and  ministers  of  grace,  defend  us. 

GUTTUKAI.. 

How  like  a  fawning  p4hlican  lie  looks ! 

SEMITONE. 

For  Heaven's  sake,  Hubert,  let  me  not  be  bound. 

VIII.     General  Eeview  Drill. 

1.  Eepeat,  three  times,  the  long  vowel  sounds,  a,  e,  i, 
o,  u :  (1)  With  moderate  rising  inflection.  (2)  Moderate 
falling  inflection.  (3)  High  rising  inflection.  (4)  Em- 
phatic falling  inflection.  (5)  High  rising  circumflex. 
(6)  Emotional  falling  circumflex.     (7)  Low  monotone. 

2.  Eepeat,  three  times,  a,  e,  I,  5,  \x:  (1)  With  very 
soft  force.  (2)  With  soft  force.  (3)  With  moderate 
force.     (4)  Loud  force.     (5)  Very  loud  force. 

3.  Eepeat,  three  times,  a,  e,  I,  5,  li :  (1)  With  the 
median  stress.  (2)  With  the  radical  stress.  (3)  With 
compound  stress.  (4)  With  vanishing  stress.  (5)  Thor- 
ough stress.     (6)  With  intermittent  stress. 

4.  Eepeat,  three  times,  a,  e,  I,  o,  u:  (1)  AVith  slow 
movement.  (2)  With  moderate  movement.  (3)  With 
fast  movement. 

.  5.  Eepeat,  three  times,  a,  e,  i,  5,  u :  (1)  With  very 
high  pitch.  (2)  With  high  pitch.  (3)  With  middle 
pitch.  (4)  With  low  pitch.  (5)  With  very  low  pitch. 
6.  Eepeat,  three  times,  a,  e,  I,  o,  ii:  (1)  With  the 
whisper.     (2)  With  pure   tone.     (3)   With   the   orotund. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  245 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

MODULATION    AND    STYLE  OF 
EXPRESSION. 


SECTION  I. 
MODULATION, 

1.  Modulation  is  the  variation  in  the  tones  of  the 
voice  in  order  to  express  the  ever-varying  thought, 
feeling,  emotion,  or  passion  to  be  expressed. 

2.  These  changes  depend  largely  upon  the  perception, 
taste,  and  judgment  of  readers ;  upon  the  extent  to 
which  readers  are  capable  of  entering  into  the  spirit  of 
what  they  read ;  and  upon  the  flexibility  of  the  voice 
in  expressing  different  shades  of  emotion  by  appropri- 
ate tones. 

3.  There  are  certain  general  principles  that  control 
modulation,  but  there  are  no  fixed  rules  of  detail  which 
can  be  applied  in  the  exercise  of  "  good  taste." 

4.  "  The  importance  of  this  principle  of  adaptation  of 
voice,"  says  Prof.  William  Eussell,  "may  be  perceived 
by  adverting  to  the  fact,  that  nothing  so  impairs  the 
effect  of  address,  as  the  want  of  spirit  and  expression 
in  elocution. 

5.  ''  No  gravity  of  tone,  or  intensity  of  utterance,  or 
precision  of  enunciation,  can  atone  for  the  absence  of 
that  natural  change  of  voice,  by  which  the  ear  is  enabled 
to  receive  and  recognize  the  tones  of  the  various  emo- 
tions accompanying  the  train  of  thought  which  the 
speaker  is  expressing.     These,  and  these  only,  can  indi- 


246  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

cate  liis   own  sense  of  what  he  utters,  or  communicate 
it  by  sympathy  to  his  audience. 

6.  "  The  adaptation  of  the  voice  to  the  expression  of 
sentiment  is  not  less  important,  when  considered  in  ref- 
erence to  meaning,  as  dependent  on  distinctions  strictly 
intellectual,  or  not  necessarily  implying  a  vivid  or  varied 
succession  of  emotions. 

7.  "  The  correct  and  adequate  representation  of  con- 
tinuous or  successive  thought,  requires  its  appropriate 
intonation  ;  as  may  be  observed  in  those  tones  of  voice 
which  naturally  accompany  discussion  and  argument, 
even  in  their  most  moderate  forms. 

8.  "Tlie  modulation  or  varying  of  tone  is  important, 
also,  as  a  matter  of  cultivated  taste.  It  is  the  appropri- 
ate grace  of  vocal  expression ;  it  has  a  charm  founded 
in  the  constitution  of  our  nature;  it  touches  the  finest 
and  deepest  sensibilities  of  the  soul ;  it  constitutes  the 
spirit  and  eloquence  of  the  human  voice,  whether  re- 
garded as  the  noblest  instrument  of  music,  or  the 
appointed  channel  of  thought  and  feeling." 

I.     General  Principles. 

1.  A  loio  key  is  the  natural  expression  of  awe,  rever- 
ence, solemnity,  sadness,  and  melancholy  ;  a  high  hey,  of 
violent  passions,  such  as  anger  and  rage,  joy  and  exulta- 
tion. The  middle  key  is  the  natural  pitch  of  conversation, 
and  of  unimpassioned  narrative,  descriptive,  or  didactic 
WTiting. 

2.  Soft  or  gentle  force  is  expressive  of  subdued  feeling, 
pathos,  and  tenderness ;  loud  force,  of  strong  passions 
and  oratorical  declamation;  onoderate  force,  of  unimpas- 
sioned thought. 

3.  Slovj  movement  is  appropriate  to  the  expression  of 
deep  thought,  power,  grandeur,  sublimity,  solemnity ;  fast 
QTiovemcnt  is   characteristic   of  vivacity,  joy,  and  uncon- 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION,  247 

trolled  passion;    moderate    movement,   of    unimpassioned 
narrative,  descriptive,  or  didactic  pieces. 

4.  The  luhisper  is  expressive  of  secrecy,  silence,  or 
extreme  fear;  guttural  quality,  of  revenge,  hatred,  despair, 
horror,  or  loathing ;  tlie  orotund,  of  power,  grandeur, 
vastness,  sublimity ;  the  falsetto,  of  puerility  or  weak- 
ness;  the  semitone,  of  sadness  and  pathetic  entreaty. 

5.  The  radical  stress  is  expressive  of  command, 
assertion,  force,  power,  and  excited  feelings  ;  the  median 
stress,  of  peace,  tranquillity,  solemnity,  grandeur,  sub- 
limity, reverence,   and  awe. 

6.  Then  there  is  the  variety  that  arises  from  imitative 
reading,  or  the  suiting  of  the  sound  to  the  word,  phrase, 
or  sentence ;  and  that  of  personation,  or  the  changes  of 
expression  to  denote  the  different  characters  in  a  dia- 
logue or  play. 

II.     Style  of  Eeading. 

1.  The  following  analysis  of  a  good  style  of  reading 
is  taken  from  Eussell's  "  American  School  Eeader " :  "If 
we  observe  attentively  the  voice  of  a  good  reader  or 
speaker,  we  shall  find  liis  style  of  utterance  marked  by 
the  following  traits.  His  voice  pleases  the  ear  by  its 
very  sound.  It  is  wholly  free  from  affected  suavity  ; 
yet,  while  perfectly  natural,  it  is  round,  smooth,  and 
agreeable.  It  is  equally  free  from  the  faults  of  feeble- 
ness and  of  undue  loudness. 

2.  "  It  is  perfectly  distinct,  in  the  execution  of  every 
sound,  in  every  word.  It  is  free  from  errors  of  negli- 
gent usage  and  corrupted  style  in  pronunciation.  It 
avoids  a  measured,  rhythmical  chant,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  a  broken,  irregular  movement,  on  the  other. 

3.  ''  It  renders  expression  clear,  by  an  attentive  ob- 
servance of  appropriate  pauses,  and  gives  weight  and 
effect  to  sentiment,  by  occasional  impressive  cessations 
of  voice.     It  slieds  light  on  the   meaning  of  sentences, 


248  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

by  the  emphatic  force  which  it  gives  to  significant  and 
expressive  words. 

4.  "  It  avoids  the  '  school '  tone  of  uniform  inflections, 
and  varies  the  voice  upward  or  downward,  as  the  suc- 
cessive clauses  of  a  sentence  demand.  It  marks  the 
cliaracter  of  every  emotion,  by  its  peculiar  traits  of 
tone ;  and  hence  its  effect  upon  the  ear,  in  the  utterance 
of  connected  sentences  and  paragraphs,  is  like  that  of 
a  varied  melody,  in  music,  played  or  sung  with  ever- 
varying  feeling  and  expression." 


SECTION  11. 

THE  READING   OF  POETRY. 

I.  Introductory. 

1.  Pupils  are  sometimes  told  to  read  verse  as  if  it  were 
prose.  Such  a  direction  may  be  given  to  counteract 
the  tendency  to  sing-song,  or  it  may  be  applied  in  the 
reading  of  doggerel  rhymes ;  but  it  cannot  be  applied  to 
the  reading  of  poetry. 

2.  Poetry,  being  the  language  of  imagination,  senti- 
ment, or  passion,  requires,  as  compared  with  prose,  a 
greater  variety  of  expression.  Moreover,  poetry  is 
rhythmical  and  melodious,  and,  in  reading  it,  attention 
must  be  given  to  movement  and  harmony. 

3.  "  The  modulation  of  the  voice,"  s^ys  Prof  Ptussell, 
"  in  adaptation  to  different  species  of  metrical  composi- 
tion, is  indispensable  to  the  appropriate  or  effective 
reading  of  verse.  The  purest  forms  of  poetry  become, 
when  deprived  of  this  aid,  nothing  but  awkward  prose. 
A  just  and  delicate  observance  of  the  effect  of  meter, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  one  of  the  surest  means  of  im- 
parting that  inspiration  of  feeling  which  it  is  the  de- 
sign of  poetry  to  produce." 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  249 

4.  In  the  reading  of  poetry,  the  pupil  should  bear  in 
mind  the  following  hints  :  (1)  The  movement,  or  time, 
in  verse,  is  generally  slower  than  in  prose,  the  vowel 
and  liquid  sounds  being  slightly  prolonged.  (2)  In 
poetry,  as  compared  with  prose,  the  force  is  somewhat 
softened  for  the  sake  of  melody.  (3)  The  existence  of 
meter  in  poetry  requires  a  rendering  of  verse  different 
from  the  reading  of  prose.  The  meter  should  not  be 
made  prominent,  but  should  be  delicately  indicated,  ^.s 
in  prose,  attention  must  be  given  to  the  sense,  to  em- 
phasis, and  to  inflection. 


II.   C^suRAL  Pauses. 

The  csesural  pause  is  a  slight  rest  occurring  some- 
where near  the  middle  of  the  line  in  certain  kinds  of 
verse.  In  heroic  and  blank  verse,  it  commonly  falls  at 
the  end  of  the  fourth  syllable.  In  smoothly  written 
verse,  the  grammatical  pause  marking  a  phrase  or  a 
clause  is  often  made  to  coincide  with  the  coesural  pause. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  This  is  the  place,  |  the  centre  of  the  grove  : 
Here  stands  the  oak,  |  the  monarch  of  the  wood. 
How  sweet  and  solemn  ]  is  this  midnight  scene ! 
The  silver  moon,  |  unclouded,  holds  her  way 
Through  skies  where  I  |  could  count  each  little  star; 
The  fanning  west  wind  |  scarcely  stirs  the  leaves. 

2.  A  man  he  was  |  to  all  the  country  dear. 
And  passing  rich  |  with  forty  pounds  a  year; 
Eemote  from  towns  |  he  ran  his  godly  race, 

Nor  e'er  had  changed,  |  nor  wished  to  change,  his  place ; 
Unpracticed  he  1  to  fawn,  or  seek  for  power, 
By  doctrines  fashioned  |  to  the  varying  hour; 
Far  other  aims  |  his  heart  had  learned  to  prize, 
More  skilled  to  raise  |  the  wretched  than  to  rise. 


250  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

III.     Meter,  or  Ehythmical  Accent. 

1.  Meter  is  the  measure  of  rhythm,  or  metrical  feet, 
in  poetry.  One  difference  between  the  reading  of  prose 
and  of  poetry  consists  in  the  distinctive  marking  of  the 
rhythm  in  verse.  If  read  without  regard  to  rhythm, 
the  sonorous  harmony  of  the  higher  forms  of  poetry  is 
lost. 

2.  As  some  knowledge  of  prosody  is  generally  obtained 
from  the  school  text-books  on  rhetoric,  only  an  allusion 
to  the  subject  is  necessary  in  a  manual  of  elocution. 

3.  In  reading  poetry,  the  measure  should  be  delicately 
indicated,  but  not  made  so  prominent  as  to  run  into 
sing-song,  or  to  break  the  grammatical  relation  of  words. 

4.  The  melody  of  verse  often  depends  on  making  some 
word,  or  successive  words,  slightly  Emphatic,  as  in  the 
following  line  from  Longfellow's  "  Psalm  of  Life : " 

"  And  things  )  are  not  |  what  they  |  scem.^' 
If  "  not "  is  emphasized,  the   rhythm   is   broken.     So   in 
the    successive    stanzas    of    Bryant's    "Planting   of  the 
Apple-tree,"  the  emphasis  in  the  last  line   of  the   suc- 
cessive stanzas  falls  as  follows  : 

1.  "  So  plant  we  |  the  apple-tree!' 

2.  "When  we  plant  ]  the  ap>ple'tree"  etc. 

IV.    Kinds  of  Verse. 

1.  The  following  summary  from  Prof.  Eussell's  "  Amer- 
ican Elocutionist "  may  be  of  interest  to  the  critical 
student:  "The  influence  of  the  various  kinds  of  verse 
on  the  voice  may  be  considered  as  affecting  generally 
the  rate,  or  movement,  and  the  time,  of  utterance. 

2.  "Thus,  Uanh  verse  is  remarkably  slow  and  stately 
in  the  character  of  its  tone;  and  the  timing  of  the 
pauses  requires  attention  chiefly  to  length.  Heroic  verse 
is  commonly  in  the  sartie  prevailing  strain^  but  not  to 
such  an  extent  as  the  preceding. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  251 

3.  "The  odo-syllctbic  meter  is  generally  more  quick  and 
lively  in  its  movement,  and  tlie  pauses  are  comparatively 
brief.  But,  under  the  influence  of  slow  time,  it  gives 
intensity  to  grief,  and  tenderness  to  the  pathetic  tone. 

4.  "  The  quatraiji,  or  four-lined  stanza,  in  the  common 
form  (called  sometimes  common  meter),  has  a  compara- 
tively musical  arrangement  of  the  lines,  and  a  peculiar 
character  in  its  cadence,  which  admits  of  its  expressing 
the  extremes  of  emotion  whether  grave  or  gay.  It  prevails, 
accordingly,  in  hymns  and  in  ballads  alike,  wliether  the 
latter  are  ^pathetic  or  humorous.  It  derives  the  former 
character  from  the  observance  of  slow  rate,  and  the  lat- 
ter from  quick  rate, 

5.  "  Trochaic  verse  has  a  peculiar  energy,  from  the 
abruptness  of  its  character — the  foot  commencing  either 
with  a  long  or  an  accented  syllable.  In  gay  ^pieces,  and 
wdth  quick  time  in  utterance,  it  produces  a  dancing  strain 
of  voice,  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  expression  of  joy ; 
while  in  grave  and  vehement  strains,  with  slovj  time,  it 
produces  the  utmost  force  and  severity  of  tone.  These 
two  extremes  are  strikingly  exemplified  in  Milton's 
'  L' Allegro '  and  '  II  Penseroso.' 

6.  '' Ancqjccstic  meter  has  a  ^qq^wMwc  fullness  and  sivcet- 
ness  of  melody.  Sloiv  time  accordingly  renders  it  deeply 
pathetic,  and  quick  time  renders  it  the  most  graceful 
expression  of  joy.  This,  as  well  as  iambic  and  trochaic 
verse,  becomes  well  fitted  to  express  the  mood  of  ccd?!!- 
ness  and  tranquillity,  when  the  rcUe  is  rendered  moderate" 

V.    Accent  of  Words. 

The  accent  of  a  w^ord  is  sometimes  changed  to  prevent 
breaking  the  measure,  as  in  the  following  examples : 

1.    Ye  icefalls !   ye  that  from  your  dizzy  heights 
Adown  enormous  rav^ines  slope  amain. 

2.   That  thou,  dead  corse,  arrayed  in  com^ylete  steel. 


252  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

3.  And  these  few  precepts  in  thy  memory,  see  thou 
charac'ter. 

4.  Then  lend  the  eye  a  terrible  d^^pect^ 

5.  I  must  be  patient  till  tlie  heavens  look  with  an 
diSpecf  more  favorable. 

VI.    Final  -ed. 

The  final  -eel  is  often  sounded  as  a  separate  syllable, 
to  prevent  a  break  in  the  meter. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.   To  live  with  her  and  live  with  thee 
In  unreprove<^  pleasures  free. 

2.  Of  Yiukicl  sweetness  long  drawn  out. 

3.  Eode  armc^i  men  adown  the  glen. 

4  Through  this  the  well-belovec^  Brutus  stabbed. 

5.  And  as  he  plucked  his  cxxY^ed  steel  away. 

6.  To  wear  an  undeservec^  dignity. 

7.  That  orhecl  maiden  with  white  fire  laden. 

8.  Whereat  she  smiled  with  so  sweet  a  cheer. 

9    While  that  the  armdd  hand  doth  fight  abroad, 
The  advised  head  defends  itself  at  home. 

VII.     Ehyme. 

In  reading  poetry,  the  words  that  rhyme  must  some- 
times 1)6  specially  emphasized.  Sometimes,  also,  the  pro- 
nunciation of  a  word  may  be  changed  to  make  it  rhyme 
with  another  word,  as  wind  for  wind. 

In  reading  the  following  couplet  from  Hudibras, 
"And  pulpit,  drum  ecclesiastic, 
He  beat  with  drum  instead  of  a  stick," 
it  becomes  necessary  to   emphasize   the  a,  or  rather  to 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  253 

sound  the  two  words  "a  stick"  like  a  word  of  two  syl- 
lables accented  on  the  first,  thus — o!stick. 

In  reading  the  following  lines  from  the  same  poem, 
the  word  ''  coloneling "  is  pronounced  exactly  as  it  is 
spelled,  coVo  nel  ing,  in  four  syllables : 

"Then  did  Sir  Knight  abandon  dwelling, 
And  out  he  rode  a-colonding.'' 
Also,  in  the  following, 

"And  wisely  tell  what  hour  o'  th'  day 
The  clock  does  strike,  by  algebra," 
the  long  sound  is  given   to   final  a  in  algebra,   to  make 
the  Avord  rhyme  with  day. 

In  the  following  couplets  from  Holmes,  the  rhyming 
w^ords  are  italicized  for  emphasis : 

"It  is  a  pity  and  a  shame — alas!   alas!    I  knovj  it  is. 
To  tread  the  trodden  grapes  again,  but  so  it  has  been, 
so  it  is." 
In  this  example  the  three  words,   "  know  it   is,"   are 
pronounced  like  a  word  of  three  syllables,  accented   on 
the  first,  thus — hiow^-it-is;   so,  also,  so^-it-is. 

VIII.    Examples  of  Ehyme. 

1.       AT    THE    ATLANTIC    DINNER. 

I  suppose  it 's  myself  that  you  're  making  allusion  to, 
And  bringing  the  sense  of  dismay  and  confusion  to. 
Of  course  some  must  speak — they  are  always  selected  to. 
But  pray  what 's  the  reason  that  I  am  expected  to  ? 
I  'm  not  fond  of  wasting  my  breath  as  those  fellows  do 
That  want  to  be  blowing  forever  as  bellows  do ; 
Their  legs  are  uneasy,  but  why  will  you  jog  any 
That  long  to  stay  quiet  beneath  the  mahogany  ? 

Holmes. 
2.       CLASS    MEETING,   1875. 

It  is  a  pity  and  a  shame — alas !   alas  I   I  know  it  is, 
To   tread   the  trodden  grapes  again,  but  so  it  has  been, 
so  it  is; 


254  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

The   purple  vintage   long   is  past,  with   ripened   clusters 

bursting  so 
They  filled  the  wine-vats  to  the  brim — 't  is  strange  you 

will  be  thirsting  so  ! 

For  who  can  tell  by  what  he  likes  what  other  people's 
fancies  are  ? 

How  all  men  think  the  best  of  wives  their  own  par- 
ticular Nancies  are  ! 

If  what  I  sing  you  brings  a  smile,  you  will  not  stop 
to  catechise, 

N'or  read  Boeotia's  lumbering  line  with  nicely  scanning 
Attic  eyes. 

Though  on  the  once  unfurrowed  brows  the  harrow-teeth 

of  Time  may  show, 
Though   all   the    strain   of    crippling    years    the   lialting 

feet  of  rhyme  may  show, 
We  look  and  hear  with  melting  hearts,  for  what  we  all 

remember  is 
The   morn   of    Spring,   nor   heed   how    chill   the    sky   of 

gray  November  is. 

Thanks  to  the  gracious  powers  above  from  all  mankind 

that  singled  us, 
And   dropped   the   pearl  of  friendship  in   the   cup   tliey 

kindly  mingled  us, 
And   bound   us   in   a  wreath   of  flowers    with   hoops    of 

steel  knit  under  it;  — 
Nor  time,  nor  space,  nor  chance,  nor  change,  nor  deatli 

himself  shall  sunder  it !  holmes. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  255 

SECTIO]^   III. 
IMITATIVE    READING. 

The  extent  to  wliicli  imitative  reading,  or  the  suiting 
of  sound  to  sense,  may  properly  be  carried,  in  certain 
classes  of  selections,  is  a  matter  in  regard  to  which 
there  is  a  diversity  of  opinion  among  elocutionists.  It 
is  one  of  those  questions  of  taste  that  cannot  be  regu- 
lated by  definite  directions  applicable  to  all  cases.  Some 
general  principles,  however,  may  be  laid  down,  from 
which  there  is  no  intelligent  dissent. 

The  style  of  reading  should  be  imitative  in  the  sense 
of  making  it  conform  to  the  spirit  and  meaning  of  the 
piece. 

In  the  utterance  of  w^ords  in  which  the  sound  seems 
to  approximate  to  the  sense,  such  as  huzz,  hiss,  tliundeVy 
groan,  sigh,  scream,  etc.,  the  tone  may  be  suggestive  of 
the  idea.  Thus,  in  reading  such  passages  as, 
'Trom  his  lips  escaped  a  groan" 
though  an  actual  groan  would  be  ridiculous,  the  word 
"groan"  may  be  uttered  so  as  to  suggest  a  groan. 

EXAMPIaES. 

1.  Hear  the  loud  alarum  bells — hrdzen  hells. 

2.  Clang !  clang !  the  massive  anvils  ring. 

3.  Blovj,  bugle;  answer  echoes,  dying,  dying,  dying. 

4.  Oh !  the  hells !  wdiat  a  talc  their  terror  tells 

Of  despair! 
How  they  clang,  and  clash,  and  roar, 
What  a  horror  they  outpour 

On  the  bosom  of  the  palpitating  air  ! 

Wherever  the  author  distinctly  suggests  an  imitation, 
it  should  be  given  so  far  as  is  consistent  with  good 
taste.     Thus,  when  Longfellow  writes, 

"And  loud  that  clarion  voice  replied," 


256  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

it   is    evident   that   the   refrain,   "Excelsior!"   should    be 
given  in  a  loud,   clear,  resonant  manner. 

Examples  for  Peactice. 

.1.   A  voice  replied  far  up  the  height,  ''Excelsior!'' 

2.    She  seemed  in  the  same  silver  tones  to  say, 

"  Passing  away,  passing  away  ! " 

3.    What  this  grim,  ungainly,  ghastly,  gaunt,  and  ominous 
bird  of  yore 

Meant  in  croaking,  "  ]S"evermore." 

4.  An  ancient  time-piece  says  to  all, 

*'  Forever — never  !     Never — -forever  !  " 

5.  "To  all  the  truth  we  tell,  we  tell," 
Shouted  in  ecstasies  a  bell. 

6.       BUNKER    HILL. 

How  the  bayonets  gleamed  and  glistened,  as  we  looked 
far  down  and  listened 

To  the  tra.mpling  and  the  drurii-heat  of  the  belted  gren- 
adiers. 

Over  heaps  all  torn  and  gory — shall  I  tell  the  fearful 
story. 

How  they  surged  above  the  breastwork  as  a  sea  breaks 
der  a  deck; 

How,  driven,,  yet  scarce  defeated,  our  worn-out  men 
retreated, 

With  their  pow^ler-horns  all  emptied,  like  the  swimmers 
from  a  wreck!  holm-s. 

Imitation  should  not  be  too  literal.  The  attempt  is 
sometimes  made  in  reading  Tennyson's  "Bugle  Song," 
to  give  a  realistic  imitation  of  the  notes  of  a  bugle. 
While  the  professional  reader  may  attempt  such  a  feat 
of  vocal  gymnastics,  it  is  certainly  outside  of  the  limits 
of   good    taste    in    school    reading.     The    words,    "Blow, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  257 

bugle,  blow,"  may  be  given  with  a  prolonged  swell,  and 
in  a  thin,  clear,  pure  tone,  so  as  to  suggest  the  bugle 
note. 

So  in  reciting  Poe's  "  Bells,"  the  imitative  rendering 
is  often  carried  to  a  ridiculous  extreme.  In  these  and 
similar  cases  it  is  not  a  literal  reproduction  of  the 
sound  that  should  be  attempted,  but  an  artistic  and 
idealized  suggestion  of  it. 

EXAMPI.ES. 

1.  And  grummer,  grummer,  grummer, 
EoUed  the  drum  of  the  drummer, 

Through  the  morn. 

And  rounder,  rounder,  rounder, 
Eoared  the  iron  six-pounder, 
Hurling  death. 

2.  I  hear  them  marchino:  o'er  the  hill; 
I  hear  them  fainter,  fainter  still. 

3.      CHUKCII    BELLS. 

*'  In  deeds  of  love,  excel !  excel !  " 
Chimed  out  from  ivied  tow^ers  a  bell. 

"  0  heed  the  ancient  landmarks  well ! " 
In  solemn  tones  exclaimed  a  bell. 

"  Ye  purifying  w^aters  swell ! '' 
In  mellovj  tones  rung  out  a  bell. 
"To  all  the  truth  we  tell!  we  tell!" 
SJiO'uted  in  ecstasies  a  bell. 

4.      WHEN"    THE    cows    COME    HOME. 

When  klingle,  klangle,  klingle, 

Far  down  the  dusty  dingle, 

The  cow\s  are  coming  home ; 
Now  sweet  and  clear,  now  faint  and  low, 
The  airy  tinkliugs  come  and  go, 
Like  chimings  from  the  far-off  tower, 

17 


258  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Or  patterings  of  an  April  shower 
That  makes  the  daisies  grow. 
Ko-ling,  ko-lang,  kolinglelingle, 
Far  down  the  darkening  dingle, 
Tlie  cows  are  coming  home. 

5.       CHAllCOAL. 

And  thus  from  morn  to  eve  he  cried, 

"  Charco' !  charco' ! " 
While  echo  faint  and  far  replied, 

"Ciiarco'I"— "Hark,  0!" 

And  in  a  coaxing  tone  he  cries, 

"  Charco' !  charco' ! " 
And  baby  with  ^  laugh  replies, 

-Ah,  go!"— "Ah,  go!" 

"  Charco'  !  "— "  Ah,    go  !  "  Trowbridge. 

6.       FIRE. 

Fire  !  fire  !  fire  ! 
See  the  red  flames  leaping  higher. 

Peal  !  peal  I  peal  I 
Bells  of  brass  and  bells  of  steel. 

Crash  I   erash  I  crash  ! 
See  tlie  fiery  surges  lash ! 

Fire  !  fire  !  fire  I 
Bristles  every  throbbing  wire. 

7.      EXCELSIOR. 

And  like  a  silver  chorion  runof — "  Fxcelsior  I " 
And  from  his  lips  escaped  a  groan — "  Excelsior  !  " 
But  still  he  answered  w^ith  a  sigh — "  Excelsior  !  " 
A  voice  replied  far  up  the  height — '' Excelsior  T' 

8.       THE    BELLS. 

Hear  the  sledges  with  the  hells — silver  bells ! 
What  a  world  of  merriment  their  melody  foretells ! 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  259 

Hear  the  mellow  vjedding  bells — -golden  bells  ! 
What  a  world  of  happiness  their  harmony  foretells  ! 

Hear  the  loud  alarum  bells — hrdzen  bells! 

What  a  tale  of  terror  now  their  turbulency  tells  ! 

Hear  the  tolling  of  the  bells — iron  bells  ! 

What  a  world  of  solemn  tlibught  their  monody  compels! 

POE. 


SECTION   IV. 
EXERCISES  IN  MODULATION, 

Modulation  is  the  variation  of  voice  according  to  the 
sentiment,  thought,  or  emotion  to  be  expressed.  In  im- 
passioned reading,  tones  are  the  most  prominent  quali- 
ties of  voice. 

Thorough  drill  on  the  following  examples  will  break 
up  the  tendency  of  pupils  to  read  all  kinds  of  selections 
in  one  formal  "  school-tone."  It  is  left  for  teachers  and 
pupils  to  exercise  their  own  judgment  and  taste  in  the, 
rendering  of  these  extracts,  which  embrace  a  wide  range 
of  expression. 

EXAMPLES. 

1.  Blow,  bugle,  blow,  set  the  wild  echoes  flying. 
Blow,  bugle,  answer  echoes,  dying,  dying,  dying. 

2.  The  loud  wind  dwindled  to  a  whisper  low. 

3.  There  is  a  silence  where  no  sound  may  be. 

4.  I  hear  them  marching  o'er  the  hill, 
I  hear  them  fainter,  fainter  still. 

5.  "  Cusha,  cusha,  cusha,"  calling. 

6.  To  arms !   to  arms !   to  arms  !   they  cry. 

7.  Arm  !  arm  ! — it  is — it  is  the  cannon's  opening  roar. 

8.  Advance  your  standards,  draw  your  willing  swords  ! 


260  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

9.    Pity  the  sorrows  of  a  poor  old  man. 

10.  Eing,  joyous  chords  ( — ring  out  again ! 

11.  Eoll  on,  thou  deep  and  dark  blue  ocean,  roll. 

12.  Come  and  trip  it,  as  ye  go, 
On  the  light  fantastic  toe. 

13.  But  hush  I  hark !  a  deep  sound  strikes  like  a  ris- 
ing knell. 

14.  Away !   away  !   and  on  we  dash. 

15.  Forward  the  light  brigade! 

16.  All's  hushed  as  midnight  yet. 

17.  Hail !   holy  light,  offspring  of  Heaven,  first  born. 

18.  Liberty!   Freedom!   Tyranny  is  dead! 

19.  Silence  how  dead  !   and  darkness  how  profound  ! 

20.  Or  whispering  with   white    lips,  "  The   foe  !   they 
come,  they  come  !  " 

21.  Joy  !  joy  !     Shout,  shout  aloud  for  joy  ! 

22.  Strike !    till  the  last  armed  foe  expires  ! 

23.  How  like  a  fawning  publican  he  looks ! 

24    Thou  hast  all  seasons  for  thine  own,  0  Death ! 

25.  Eing  the  alarm-bell !     Murder !   and  treason  I 

26.  Eide  softly  !   ride    slowly !   the  onset  is  near ! 
Move  slowly  I  move  softly !   the  sentry  may  hear. 

27.  No !   by  St.  Bride  of  Bothwell,  no ! 

28.  On  a  sudden  open  fly 

Tlie  infernal  gates,  and  on  their  hinges  grate 
Harsh  thunder  ! 

29.  Heaven  opened  wide 

Her  ever-during  gates,  harmonious  sound. 
On  golden  hino-es  turning. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  261 

30.  But  gentler  now  tlie  small  waves  glide, 
Like  playi'ul  lambs  on  a  mountain  side. 

31.  With  many  a  weary  step,  and  many  a  groan. 
Up  the  high  hill  he  heaves  a  huge  round  stone. 

32.  When  Ajax  strives  some  rock's  vast  weight  to  throw, 
The  line,  too,  labors,  and  the  words  move  slow. 

33.  Soft  is  the  strain  when  zephyr  gently  blows, 

And  the  smooth  stream  in  smoother  numbers  flows. 
But  when  loud  surges  lash  the  sounding  shore. 
The  hoarse  rough  verse  should  like  the  torrent  roar. 

34.  Clang !  clang !  the  massive  anvils  ring. 
Clang  1  clang !  a  Imndred  hammers  swing ; 
Like  the  thunder  rattle  of  a  tropic  sky, 
The  mighty  blows  still  multiply. 

35.      SONG   OF   THE   SHIRT. 

Work !  work  !  work ! 
.  Till  the  brain  begins  to  swim ; 

Work  !  work  !  work  1 
Till  the  eyes  are  heavy  and  dim! 

Seam,  and  gusset,  and  band, 
Band,  and  gusset,  and  seam, 

Till  over  the  buttons  I  fall  asleep, 
And  sew  them  on  in  a  dream !  hood. 

36.      THE   TWO   VOICES   FROM   THE   GRAVE. 

First   Voice. 

How  frightful  the  grave !  how  deserted  and  drear ! 
With  the  howls  of  the  storm- wind,  the  creaks  of  the  bier, 
And  the  white  bones  all  clattering  together ! 

Second  Voice. 

How  peaceful  the  grave !  its  quiet  how  deep ! 
Its  zephyrs  breathe  calmly,  and  soft  is  its  sleep, 
And  flow'rets  perfume  it  with  ether. 


262  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

37.  MILITARY   COMMAND. 

"  Forward  the  Light  Brigade ! 
Charge  for  the  guns ! "  he  said. 
Shoulder  arms  !     Forward  march  !     Halt ! 
Charge  !   Chester,  charge  !     On  !   Stanley,  on ! 

38.  THE  herald's  call. 

Eejoice,  ye  men  of  Anglers,  ring  your  bells, 

King  John,  your  king  and  England's,  doth  approach. 

Open  your  gates  and  give  the  victor  way. 


SECTION  V. 
DIALECT  BEADING  AND  PERSONATION. 

In  dialect  reading,  the  peculiarities  of  speech  should 
be  reproduced  with  fidelity,  but  should  not  be  exagger- 
ated. In  the  reading  of  dialogues  there  is,  of  necessity, 
a  marked  change  of  tone  and  manner  when  the  reader 
personates  two  or  more  characters. 

Examples  of  Dialect  Eeading. 

1.       SKIPPER   IRESON's   RIDE. 

Scores  of  women,  old  and  young. 
Strong  of  muscle,  and  glib  of  tongue, 
Pushed  and  pulled  up  the  rocky  lane, 
Shoutincj  and  sinofincj  the  shrill  refrain : 
"  Here  ^s  Find  Oirson,  fur  his  horrd  horrt, 
Torr'd  an'  fatherrd  an'  corr'd  in  a  corrt 
By  the  women  o   Morhle'ead  !''        whittier. 

2.      THE   deacon's   MASTERPIECE. 

But  the  Deacon  swore,  as  deacons  do, 

With  an  "/  devj  vitm''  or  an  "  I  tell  yeou" 

He  would  build  one  shay  to  beat  the  taown, 

'n'  the  haounty  'n'  all  the  hentry  raoion' ; 

It  should  be  so  built  that  it  couldn'  break  daown. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  263 

"  Fur,"  said  the  Deacon,  "  't  's  mighty  plain 
Thut  the  weakes'  place  mus'  stan'  the  strain ; 
'n*  the  way  t'  fix  it,  uz  I  maintain, 

Is  only  jest 
T'  make  that  place  iiz  strong  uz  the  rest/' 

Holmes. 
3.      SPRING. 

0  little  city-gals,  do  n't  never  go  it 
Blind  on  the  word  o'  noospaper  or  poet ! 
They're  apt  to  puff,  an'  May-day  seldom  looks 
Up  in  the  country  ez  it  doos  in  books ; 

They're  no  more  like  than  hornets'-nests  an'  hives, 
Or  printed  sarmons  be  to  holy  lives. 
I,  with  my  trouses  perched  on  cow-hide  boots, 
Tuggin'  my  foundered  feet  out  by  the  roots, 
Hev  seen  ye  come  to  fling  on  April's  hearse 
Your  muslin  nosegays  from  the  milliner's — 
Puzzlin'  to  find  dry  ground  your  queen  to  choose, 
An'  dance  your  throats  sore  in  morocker  shoes  ; 

1  'ye  seen  ye  an'  felt  proud,  thet,  come  wut  would, 
Our  Pilgrim  stock  wuz  pithed  with  hardihood. 
Pleasure  does  make  us  Yankees  kind  o'  winch, 
Ez  though  'twuz  sumthin'  paid  for  by  the  inch  ; 
But  yit  we  du  contrive  to  worry  thru — 

Ef  Dooty  tells  us  thet  the  thing's  to  du — 

An'  kerry  a  hoUerday,  ef  we  set  out, 

Ez  stiddily  ez  though  'twuz  a  redoubt.  lowell. 

4.       THE   GRIDIRON. 

Patrick.  I  beg  pardon,  sir ;  but  maybe  I  'm  imder  a 
mistake,  but  I  thought  I  was  in  France,  sir.  An't  you 
all  furriners  here  ?     Parley  voo  frongsay  ? 

Frenchman.     Oui,  monsieur. 

Patrick,  Then,  would  you  lind  me  the  loan  of  a  grid- 
iron, if  you  plase?  I  know  it's  a  liberty  I  take,  sir; 
but  it's  only  in  the  regard  of  bein'  cast  away;  and  if 
you  plase,  sir,  parley  voo  frongsay  ? 


264  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Frenchman.     Oui,  monsieur,  oui. 

Patriclc.  Then  would  you  lind  me  the  loan  of  a  grid- 
iron, sir,  and  you  '11  obleege  me  ? 

Frenchman.     Monsieur,  j)ardon,  monsieur — 

Patrick.     Then  lind  me  the  loan  of  a  gridiron,  I  say. 

Frenchman.     Oui,  oui,  monsieur. 

Patrich.  Then  lind  me  the  loan  of  a  gridiron,  and 
howld  your  prate.  Well,  I '11  give  you  one  chance  more, 
you  owld  thafe!  Are  you  a  Christian,  at  all,  at  all  ? 
Are  you  a  furriner  that  all  the  world  calls  so  p'lite  ? 
Bad  luck  to  you !  do  you  understand  your  mother 
tongue?  Parley  voo  frongsay?  (Very  loud.)  Parley 
voo  frongsay  ? 

Frenchman.     Oui,  monsieur,  oui,  oui. 

Patrick.  (Screaming.)  Thin  lind  me  the  loan  of  a 
gridiron! 

5.      AFTER-DINNER   SPEECH   BY  A   FRENCHMAN. 

"Milors  and  Gentlemans — You  excellent  chairman,  M. 
le  Baron  de  Mount-Stuart,  he  have  say  to  me,  'Make 
de  toast.'  Den  I  say  to  him  dat  I  have  no  toast  to 
make ;  but  he  nudge  my  elbow  ver  soft,  and  say  dat 
dere  is  von  toast  dat  nobody  but  von  Prenchman  can 
make  proper;  and,  derefore,  wid  your  kind  permission, 
I  vill  make  de  toast.  '  De  brevete  is  de  sole  of  de  feet,' 
as  you  great  philosophere,  Dr.  Johnson,  do  say,  in  dat 
amusing  little  vork  of  his,  de  Pronouncing  Dictionnaire ; 
and,  derefore,  I  vill  not  say  ver  moch  to  de  point. 

"  Ah !  mes  amis !  ven :  I  hear  to  myself  de  flowing 
speech,  de  oration  magnifique  of  you  Lor'  Maire,  Mon- 
sieur Gobbledown,  I  feel  dat  it  is  von  great  privilege 
for  von  Stranger  to  sit  at  de  same  table,  and  to  eat  de 
same  food,  as  dat  grand,  dat  majestique  man,  who  are 
de  terreur  of  de  voleurs  and  de  brigands  of  de  metrop- 
olis; and  who  is  also,  I  for  to  suppose,  a  halterman 
and   de   chief  of    you   common    scoundrel.      Milors    and 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  265 

gentlemans,  I  feel  dat  I  can  perspire  to  no  greatare 
honneur  dan  to  be  von  common  scoundrelman  myself; 
but,  h^las!  dat  plaisir  are  not  for  me,  as  I  are  not  free- 
man of  your  great  citd,  not  von  liveryman  servant  of 
von  of  you  compagnies  joint-stock.  But  I  must  not 
forget  de  toast. 

"  Milors  and  Gentlemans !  De  immortal  Sliakispeare 
he  have  write,  '  De  ting  of  beauty  are  de  joy  for  never- 
more.' It  is  de  ladies  who  are  de  toast.  Yat  is  more 
entrancing  dan  de  charmante  smile,  de  soft  voice,  de 
vinkiug  eye  of  de  beautiful  lady !  It  is  de  ladies  who 
do  sweeten  de  cares  of  life.  It  is  de  ladies  who  are  de 
guiding  stars  of  our  existence.  It  is  de  ladies  w^ho  do 
cheer  but  not  inebriate,  and,  derefore,  vid  all  homage 
to  dere  sex,  de  toast  dat  I  have  to  propose  is,  'De 
Ladies  !     God  bless  dem  all ! ' '' 

6.   DUXDREARY  IN  THE  COUNTRY. 

1.  Diwectly  after  the  season  is  over  in  town,  I  always 
go  into  the  countwy.  To  tell  you  the  twuth,  I  hate 
the  countwy — it 's  so  awful  dull — there  's  such  a  howid 
noise  of  nothing  all  day;  and  there  is  nothing  to  see 
but  gween  twees,  and  cows,  and  buttercups,  and  wab- 
bits,  and  all  tliat  sort  of  cattle — I  don't  mean  exactly 
cattle  either,  but  animals,  you  know. 

2.  And  then  the  earwigs  get  into  your  hair-bwushes 
if  you  leave  the  bed-woom  window  open;  and  if  you 
lie  down  on  the  gwass,  those  howid  gwasshoppers,  all 
legs,  play  at  leap-frog  over  your  nose,  which  is  howible 
torture,  and  makes  you  weady  to  faint,  you  know,  if  it 
is  not  too  far  to  call  for  assistance. 

3.  And  the  howid  sky  is  always  blue,  and  everything 
bores  you ;  and  they  talk  about  the  sunshine,  as  if  there 
was  more  sunshine  in  the  countwy  than  in  the  city — 
which  is  abthurd,  you  know — only  the  countwy  sun  is 
hotter,  and  bwings  you  all  out  in  those  howid  fvveckles, 


266  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

and   turns   you   to   a   fwiteful   bwicky   color,  which  the 
wetches  call  healthy. 

4.  As  if  a  healthy  man  must  lose  his  complexion, 
and  become  of  a  bwicky  wed  color — ha,  ha ! — bwicky — 
howid — bwicky  wed  color — cawoty  wed  color  ! 

7.      THE   HEATHEN   CHINEE. 

Which  I  wish  to  remark — 

And  my  language  is  plain — 
That  for  ways  that  are  dark. 
And  for  tricks  that  are  vain. 
The  heathen  Chinee  is  peculiar, 
Which  the  same  I  would  rise  to  explain. 

Ah  Sin  was  his  name ; 

And  I  shall  not  deny. 
In  regard  to  the  same, 

What  that  name  might  imply; 
But  his  smile  it  was  pensive  and  child-like, 
As  I  frequently  remarked  to  Bill  Xye. 

It  was  August  the  third, 

And  quite  soft  was  the  skies — 
Which  it  might  be  inferred 
That  Ah  Sin  was  likewise; 
Yet  he  played  it  that  day  upon  William 
And  me  in  a  way  I  despise. 

Which   we  had  a  small  game, 

And  Ah  Sin  took  a  hand; 
It  was  Euchre.     Tlie  same 
He  did  not  understand; 
But  he  smiled  as  he  sat  by  tlie  table, 
With  a  smile  that  was  child-like  and  bland. 

Yet  the  cards  they  were  stocked 

In  a  way  that  I  grieve, 
And  my  feelings  were  shocked 

At  the  state  of  Nye's  sleeve. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  267 

Which  was  stuffed  full  of  aces  and  bowers, 
And  the  same  with  intent  to  deceive. 

But  the  hands  that  were  played 

By  that  heathen  Chinee, 
And  the  points  that  he  made. 
Were  quite  frightful  to  see ; 
Till  at  last  he  put  down  a  right  bower, 
Which  the  same  Nye  had  dealt  unto  me. 

Then  I  looked  up  at  Nye, 
And  he  gazed  upon  me; 
And  he  rose  with  a  sigh, 
And  said,  "  Can  this  be  ? 
We  are  ruined  by  Chinese  cheap  labor" — 
And  he  went  for  that  heathen  Chinee. 

In  the  scene  that  ensued 

i  did  not  take  a  hand ; 
But  the  floor  it  was  strewed, 
Like  the  leaves  on  the  strand. 
With  the  cards  that  Ah  Sin  had  been  hiding, 
In  the  game  he  *'did  not  understand." 

In  his  sleeves,  w^hich  were  long. 

He  had  twenty-four  packs — 
Which  was  coming  it  strong, 
Yet  I  state  but  the  facts; 
And  we  found  on  his  nails,  which  were  taper, 
What  is  frequent  in  tapers — tliat's  wax. 

Which  is  why  I  remark — 

And  my  language  is  plain — 
That  for  ways  that  are  dark. 
And  for  tricks  that  are  vain, 
The  heathen  Chinee  is  peculiar, 
Which  the  same  I  am  free  to  maintain. 

Bret  Harte 


268  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

8.      MARK    TWAIN   AND   THE    REPORTEK. 

"Hoping  it's  no  harm,  I've  come  to  interview  you. 
I  am  connected  with  The  Daily  Thunder  storm!' 

"Come  to  what?" 

''Interview  you." 

"  Ah  1  I  see.     Yes — yes.     Um  !     Yes — yes." 

"Are  you  ready  to  begin?" 

"  Eeady." 

"  How  old  are  you  ? " 

"Nineteen  in  June." 

"  Indeed !  I  would  have  taken  you  to  be  thirty-five 
or  six.     Where  were  you  born  ? " 

"In  Missouri?" 

"  When  did  you  begin  to  write  ? " 

"In  1836." 

"Why,  how  could  that  be,  if  you  are  only  nineteen 
now  ? " 

"  I  do  n't  know.     It  does  seem  curious,  somehow." 

"It  does  indeed.  Whom  do  you  consider  the  most 
remarkable  man  you  ever  met  ?  " 

"Aaron  Burr." 

"But  you  never  could  have  met  Aaron  Burr,  if  you 
are  only  nineteen  years — " 

"Now,  if  you  know  more  about  me  tlian  I  do,  what 
do  you  ask  me  for  ? " 

"  Well,  it  was  only  a  suggestion ;  nothing  more.  How 
did  you  happen  to  meet  Burr  ? " 

"Well,  I  happened  to  be  at  his  funeral  one  day;  and 
he  asked  me  to  make  less  noise,  and — " 

"But,  good  heavens!  If  you  were  at  his  funeral,  he 
must  have  been  dead;  and,  if  he  was  dead,  how  could 
he  care  whether  you  made  a  noise  or  not  ? " 

"  I  do  n't  know.  He  was  always  a  particular  kind  of 
a  man  that  way." 

"  Still,  I  do  n't  understand  it  at  all.  You  say  he  spoke 
to  you,  and  that  he  was  dead  ? " 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  269 

"I  didn't  say  be  was  dead." 

"But  wasn't  he  dead?" 

*'  Well,  some  said  he  was,  some  said  he  was  n't." 

"What  do  you  think?" 

"  Oh,  it  was  none  of  my  business.  It  was  n't  any  of 
my  funeral." 

"Did  you —  However,  we  can  never  get  this  matter 
straight.  Let  me  ask  about  something  else.  What  was 
the  date  of  your  birth  ? " 

"Monday,  October  31,  1693." 

"  What  I  Impossible  I  That  would  make  you  a  hun- 
dred and  eighty  years  old.  How  do  you  account  for 
that  ? " 

"I  don't  account  for  it  at  all." 

"But  you  said  at  first  you  were  only  nineteen,  and 
now  you  make  yourself  out  to  be  one  hundred  and 
eighty.     It  is  an  awful  discrepancy." 

**  Why,  have  you  noticed  that  ?  {Shaking  hands)  Many 
a  time  it  has  seemed  to  me  like  a  discrepancy ;  but 
some  how  I  couldn't  make  up  my  mind.  How  quick 
you  notice  a  thing ! " 

"Thank  you  for  the  compliment,  as  far  as  it  goe^ 
Had  you,  or  have  you,  any  brothers  or  sisters  ? " 

"  Eh  !     I — I — I  think  so — yes — but  I  do  n't  remember." 

"Well,  that  is  the  most  extraordinary  statement  I 
ever  heard." 

"Why,  what  makes  you  think  that?" 

"  How  could  I  think  otherwise  ?  Why,  look  here ! 
Who  is  this  a  picture  of  on  the  wall?  Isn't  that  a 
brother  of  yours  ? " 

"  Oh,  yes,  yes,  yes !  lN"ow  you  remind  me  of  it,  that 
ivas  a  brother  of  mine.  That's  William,  Bill  we  called 
him.     Poor  old  Bill!" 

"Why,  is  he  dead,  then?" 

"  Ah,  well,  I  suppose  so.  We  never  could  tell.  There 
was  a  great  mystery  about  it." 


270  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

*'  That  is  sad,  very  sad.     He  disappeared,  then  ? " 

"Well,  yes,  in  a  sort  of  general  way.  We  buried 
him." 

"  Buried  him !  Buried  him  without  knowing  whether 
he  was  dead  or  not  ? " 

"  Oh,  no !     Not  that.     He  was  dead  enough." 

"Well,  I  confess  that  I  can't  understand  this.  If  you 
buried  him,  and  you  knew  he  was  dead — " 

"  No,  no !     We  only  thought  he  was." 

"  Oh,  I  see  !     He  came  to  life  again  ? " 

"I  bet  he  didn't." 

"Well,  I  never  heard  anything  like  this.  Somebody 
w^as  dead.  Somebody  was  buried.  Now,  where  was  the 
mystery  ? " 

"Ah,  that's  just  it!  That's  it  exactly!  You  see  we 
were  twins — defunct  and  I;  and  we  got  mixed  in  the 
bath-tub  when  we  were  only  two  weeks  old,  and  one 
of  us  was  drowned.  But  we  did  n't  know  which.  Some 
think  it  was  Bill;  some  think  it  was  me." 

"Well,  that  is  remarkable.     What  do  you  think?" 

"  Goodness  knows !  I  w^ould  give  whole  worlds  to 
l^now.  This  solemn,  this  awful  mystery  has  cast  a 
gloom  over  my  whole  life.  But  I  will  tell  you  a  secret 
now,  which  I  never  have  revealed  to  any  creature  before. 
One  of  us  had  a  peculiar  mark,  a  large  mole  on  the 
back  of  his  left  hand;  that  was  me.  That  child  ivcts 
the  one  that  luas  droivned!' 

"  Very  well,  then,  I  do  n't  see  that  there  is  any  mys- 
tery about  it,  after  all." 

"  You  do  n't  ?  Well,  /  do.  Anyway,  I  do  n't  see  how 
they  could  ever  have  been  such  a  blundering  lot  as  to 
go  and  bury  the  wrong  child.  But,  'sh !  Do  n't  men- 
tion it  where  the  family  can  hear  of  it.  Heaven  knows 
they  have  heart-breaking  troubles  enough  without  adding 
this." 

"Well,  I  believe  I  have  got  material  enougli  for  the 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  271 

present;  and  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  the 
pains  you  have  taken.  But  I  was  a  good  deal  inter- 
ested in  that  account  of  Aaron  Burr's  funeral.  Would 
you  mind  telling  me  what  particular  circumstance  it 
was  tliat  made  you  think  Burr  was  such  a  remarkable 
man  ? " 

"Oh,  it  was  a  mere  trifle!  Not  one  man  in  fifty 
would  have  noticed  it  at  all.  When  the  sermon  was 
over,  and  the  procession  all  ready  to  start  for  the 
cemetery,  and  the  body  all  arranged  nice  in  the  hearse, 
he  said  he  wanted  to  take  a  last  look  at  the  scenery ; 
and  so  he  got  up,  and  rode  ivith  the,  driver T 

9.       PRINCE    HENEY    AND    FALSTAFF. 

Fcdstaff.  I  call  thee  coward  ?  I  '11  see  thee  hanged  ere 
I  call  thee  coward :  but  I  would  give  a  thousand  j^ound 
I  could  run  as  fast  as  thou  canst.  You  are  straight 
enough  in  the  shoulders,  you  care  not  who  sees  your 
hack.  Call  you  that  backing  your  friends'^  A  plague 
upon  such  backing  1  give  me  them  that  will  face  me. — 
Give  me  a  cup.  of  sack:  I  am  a  rogue,  if  I  liave  drunk 
to-day. 

P.  Henry.  0  villain!  thy  lips  are  scarce  wiped  since 
thou  drank'st  last. 

Fal.  All's  one  for  that.  A  'plague  on  all  cowards, 
still  say  I ! 

P.  Henry.     What's  the  matter  "^ 

Fal.  What's  the  matter'^  here  be  four  of  us  have 
tiiken  a  thousand  pound  this  morning. 

P.  Henry.     Where  is  it,  Jack  ?   where  is  it  ? 

Fed.  Where  is  it  ?  taken  from  us,  it  is ;  a  hundred 
upon  poor  four  of  us. 

P.  Henry.     What !  a  hiindred,  man  ? 

Fal.  I  am  a  rogue,  if  I  were  not  at  half-sword  with 
a  dozen  of  them,  for  two  hours  together.  I  have  'scaped 
bv    miracle.     I    am    eigfht     times     thrust    throuoh    the 


272  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

doublet;  four,  through  the  hose;  my  buckler  cut  through 
and  through;  my  sword  hacked  like  a  hand-saw.  I 
never  dealt  better  since  I  was  a  man ;  all  would  not 
do.  A  plague  of  all  cowards !  Let  them  speak ;  if  they 
speak  more  or  less  than  truth,  they  are  villains  and  the 
^  sons  of  darkness. 

P.  Henry.     Spfeak,  sirs ;  how  •was  it  ? 

Gadshill.     "We  four,  set  upon  some  dozen — 

Fal.     Sixteen,  at  least,  my  lord. 

Gad.     And  bound  them. 

Peto.     No,  no,  they  were  not  bound. 

Fal,  You  rogue,  they  were  bound,  every  man  of 
them,  or  I  am  a  Jew,  else — an  Ebrew  Jew. 

Gad.  As  we  were  sharing,  some  six  or  seven  fresh 
men  set  upon  us — 

Fal.  And  uubound  the  rest;  and  then  come  in  the 
other. 

P.  Henry.     What !  fought  ye  with  them  all  ? 

Fal.  All?  I  know  not  what  ye  call  all;  but  if  I 
fought  not  with  fifty  of  them,  I  am  a  bunch  of  radish : 
if  there  were  not  two  or  three  and  fifty  upon  poor  old 
Jack,  then  I  am  no  two-legged  creature. 

Poins.  Pray  lieaven,  you  have  not  murdered  some  of 
them. 

Fal.  Nay,  that's  past  praying  for;  for  I  have  pep- 
pered two  of  them ;  two  I  am  sure  I  have  paid ;  two 
rogues  in  buckram  suits.  I  tell  thee  what,  Hal,  if  I 
tell  thee  a  lie,  spit  in  my  face,  and  call  me  a  liorse. 
Four  rescues  in  buckram  let  drive  at  me — 

p.  Henry.  What !  four  1  Thou  saidst  but  tivo  even 
now. 

Fal.     Four,  Hal ;  I  told  thee  four. 

Poins.     Ay,  ay,  he  said  four. 

Fal.  These  four  came  all  afront,  and  mainly  thrust 
at  me.  I  made  no  more  ado,  but  took  all  their  seven 
points  on  my  target  thus. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  273 

P.  Henry.  Seven !  why,  there  were  but  four,  even 
now. 

Fal.     In  buckram  ? 

P.  Henry.     Ay,  four  in  buckram  suits. 

Fal.  Seven,  by  these  hilts,  or  I  am  a  villain  else. 
Dost  thou  hear  me,  Hal  ? 

P.  Henry,     Ay,  and  mdrk  thee  too.  Jack. 

Fal.  Do  so,  for  it  is  worth  listening  to.  These  Qiine 
in  buckram  that  I  told  thee  of — 

P.  Henry.     So,  two  more  already. 

Fal.  Their  points  being  broken, — began,  to  give  me 
ground;  but  I  followed  me  close,  came  in  foot  and 
hand,  and  with  a  thought,  seven  of  the  eleven  I  paid. 

P.  Henry.  .  0  monstrous !  eleven  buckram  men  grown 
out  of  two  I 

Fal.  But,  as  ill  luck  w^ould  have  it,  three  misbegot- 
ten knaves,  in  Kendal  green,  came  at  my  back,  and  let 
drive  at  me; — for  it  w^as  so  dark,  Hal,  that  thou  couldst 
not  see  -thy  hand. 

P.  Henry.  These  lies  are  like  the  father  that  begets 
them;  gross  as  a  mountain,  open,  palpable.  Why,  thou 
knotty-pated  fool;  thou  greasy  tallow-tub. 

Fal.  Wliat,  art  thou  7nad?  art  thou  mad?  is  not  the 
truth  the  truth? 

P.  Henry.  Why,  how"  couldst  thou  know  these  men 
in  Kendal  green,  when  it  was  so  dark  thou  couldst  not 
see  thy  hand?  Come,  tell  us  your  reason;  what  sayest 
thou  to  this  ?     Come,  your  reason,  Jack,  your  reason. 

Fal.  What,  upon  compulsion  ?  No.  Were  I  at  the 
strappado,  or  all  the  racks  in  the  world,  I  w^ould  not 
tell  you  on  compulsion.  Give  you  a  reason  upon  co7ii- 
piclsion !  If  reasons  w^ere  as  plenty  as  hldckherries,  I 
would  give  no  man  a  reason  upon  compulsion. 

P.  Henry.  I'll  be  no  longer  guilty  of  this  sin.  This 
sanguine  coward,  this  bed-presser,  this  horse-back  breaker, 
this  huge  hill  of  flesh — 

18 


274  SCHOOL    EKOCUTIOm 

Fal.  Away,  you  starveling,  you  eel-skin,  you  dried 
^ga^'s-tongue,  you  st6ch-fi^\i !  0  for  hreath  to  utter  what 
is  like  thee !  you  tailor's  yard,  you  sheath,  you  5d2^-case, 
you  vile  standing  tuck — 

SHAKESPEA.RK 

Hints  about  Additional  Selections. 

Dialogues,  dialect  pieces,  and  humorous  selections  are 
useful  in  school  for  the  purpose  of  breaking  up  the 
tendency  to  stiffness,  formality,  and  monotony  in  read- 
ing. There  .are  times  when  the  ripple  of  laughter  is 
music  in  the  school-room,  and  when  the  sunlight  of 
humor  is  needed  to  dispel  the  mists  of  a  gloomy  day. 
There  seems  to  be  no  good  reason  why  the  flashes  of 
wit  and  humor  that  delight  a  whole  nation  should  be 
altogether  shut  out  from  the  school-room,  because  they 
do  not  form  a  part  of  ''  classic  literature."  Though  such 
humorous  and  dialect  selections  might  not  seem  appro- 
priate for  a  drill-book  like  this  volume,  the  wise  and 
cheerful  teacher  will  make  good  use  of  them,  taking 
care,  of  course,  to  exclude  objectionable  selections. 
Teachers  will  do  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  taste 
of  boys  and  girls  from  fourteen  to  eighteen  years  of 
age  is  not  so  critical  as  that  of  men  and  women  of 
middle  age. 

These  extracts  should  be  read  at  sight,  the  book  being 
passed  from  hand  to  hand,  and  one  book  serving  for 
the  whole  class. 

Many  excellent  selections  can  be  found  in  such  books 
as  Lowell's  ''  Biglow  Papers,"  Dickens's  "  Pickwick  Pa- 
pers," Bret  Harte's  "  Poems,"  Saxe's  "  Poems,"  Hood's 
"Poems,"  Mark  Twain's  books,  Monroe's  ''Humorous 
Eeadings,"  Garrett's  "  Speaker's  Garland,"  Shoemaker's 
"  Elocutionist's  Annual,"  and  many  other  books  of 
"  Selections." 


PART  III. 


PART  III. 

MISCELLANEOUS  SELECTIONS. 


SECTIO:^^  I. 
PBOSE   SELECTIONS, 

1.     ELOCUTION"AEY  TEAINING. 

1.  Elocutionary  training  should  be  begun  in  early 
life,  because  then  the  vocal  organs  are  flexible.  It  is  a 
serious  defect  in  our  school  methods  of  instruction,  that 
the  expressive  faculties,  comprising  feeling,  affection, 
emotion,  passion,  imagination,  fancy,  association,  imita- 
tion, and  description,  are  called  so  little  into  action. 
Elocution,  when  properly  taught,  calls  into  active  exer- 
cise the  expressive  faculties,  and  tends  to  educate  the 
child  as  a  social  being. 

2.  In  most  ungraded  schools  in  the  country,  and  in 
many  city  schools,  an  hour  of  tlie  closing  afternoon  of 
each  week  may  be  usefully  devoted  to  declamation,  dia- 
logue, and  select  readings.  It  is  not  advisable  to  compel 
every  child  in  school  to  take  part  in  these  exercises,  for 
there  are  some  who  never  can  become  good  readers,  and 
others  who  are  so  awkward  and  diffident  that  it  is  cruel 
to  force  them  upon  the  school  stage  with  a  declamation. 

3.  Appropriate  selections  should  at  first  be  made  by 

(277) 


278  SCHOOL    ELOCUTIOIT. 

the  teacher;  for  the  uncultivated  taste  of  pupils  will 
lead  them  to  choose  pieces  altogether  too  difi&cult,  or 
utterly  worthless  when  committed  to  memory.  Select 
at  times,  for  the  boys,  short  prose  declamations,  which, 
when  learned,  remain  in  the  memory  as  models  of  pure 
prose  and  patriotic  feeling.  If  they  learn  a  poem,  let 
it  not  be  one  made  up  of  doggerel  rhymes,  or  of  pain- 
ful attempts  at  a  low  order  of  wit. 

4.  A  careful  selection  of  pieces  will  be  the  surest 
safeguard  against  the  ranting,  tearing,  overstrained,  the- 
atrical style  of  florid  oratory  which  so  painfully  mars 
many  school  exhibitions.  The  teacher  can  take  odd 
moments  at  the  intermission,  or  recess,  or  before  and 
after  school,  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  rehearsals,  and 
giving  special  instructions. 

5.  Teachers  should  instruct  pupils  in  the  elements  of 
gesture.  Gestures  spring  naturally  from  the  close  sym- 
pathy of  mind  and  body.  A  look  of  the  eye,  an 
expression  of  the  countenance,  a  movement  of  the  hand, 
often  convey  more  than  words  can  express.  The  prin- 
ciples of  gesture  may  be  easily  learned  from  any  one  of 
several  excellent  works  on  elocution. 

6.  The  reading  and  recitation  of  poetry  by  girls  is  an 
indispensable  part  of  the  education  of  woman,  as  one 
of  the  most  efficient  modes  of  discipline  for  the  taste 
and  imagination.  Many  of  the  most  exquisite  passages 
of  the  poets  can  never  be  fully  appreciated  until  repeated 
by  the  voice  of  woman. 

7.  It  requires  no  close  observer  to  perceive  the  effects 
of  poetry  on  tlie  youthful  mind.  Childhood  delights  in 
the  melody  of  verse,  and  is  pleased  with  its  flowing 
harmony  of  sound.  In  poetry  are  embodied  some  of 
the  most  beautiful  lessons  of  morality ;  and  they  are 
presented  in  a  manner  wdiich  arrests  the  attention  and 
impresses  the  character.  What  teacher  has  not  seen  the 
dull  eye  kindle,  the  vacant  countenance  take  expression, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  279 

the  face  glow  with  emotion,  and  the  whole  boy  become 
lost  in  the  sentiment  of  liis  declamation  ? 
'  8.  Introduce  elocution  into  school  to  cultivate  a  taste 
for  reading,  to  exercise  and  strengthen  memory,  to 
awaken  feeling,  to  excite  imagination,  and  to  train  those  , 
who  are  to  enter  the  professions,  to  become  graceful 
and  pleasing  speakers.  Introduce  it  as  a  relief  from 
study,  a  pleasing  recreation,  and  a  source  of  intellectual 
enjoyment.  Introduce  it  as  a  part  of  the  aesthetic  edu- 
cation so  peculiarly  appropriate  for  woman.  Make  it 
as  a  part  of  the  education  of  man  as  an  expressive  being. 

2.     GOOD   EEADING.  : 

1.  There  is  dne  accomplishment,  in  particular,  which  I 
would  earnestly  recommend  to  you.  Cultivate  assidu- 
ously the  ability  to  read  well.  I  stop  to  particularize 
this,  because  it  is  a  thing  so  very  much  neglected,  aiid 
because  it  is  such  an  elegant  and  charming  accomiolisU' 
ment.  Where  Q7ie  person  is  really  interested  by  music, 
twenty  are  pleased  by  good  readiiig.  Where  dne  person 
is  capable  of  becoming  a  skillful  musician,  twenty  may 
become  good  readers.  Where  there  is  one  occasion  suit- 
able for  the  exercise  of  musical  talent,  there  are  tioenty 
for  that  of  good  reading, 

2.  The  culture  of  the  voice  necessary  for  reading  well, 
gives  a  delightful  charm  to  the  same  voice  in  conversa- 
tion. Good  reading  is  the  natural  exponent  and  vehicle 
of  all  good  things.  It  seems  to  bring  dead  authors  to 
life  again,  and  makes  lis  sit  down  familiarly  with  the 
great  and  gdod  of  all  ages, 

3.  "WhdX  d.  fascindtion  there  i^  iwredllj  good  reading  ! 
What  a  povjcr  it  gives  one  !  In  the  hospital,  in  the 
chamber  of  the  Invalid,  in  the  nursery,  in  the  domestic 
and  in  the  shcial  circle,  among  chosen  friends  and  com- 
pdnions,  how  it  enables  you  to  minister  to  the  amilse' 


280  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

mentj  the  comfort,  the  pleasure  of  dear  ones  as  no  other 
art  or  accomplishment  can,  No  instrument  of  man^s 
devising  can  reach  the  heart  as  does  that  most  wonder- 
fid  instrument,  the  hur)um  voice. 

4,  If  you  would  double  the  value  of  all  your  other 
acquisitions,  if  you  would  add  immeasurably  to  your 
own  enjoyment  and  to  your  power  of  promoting  the 
enjoyment  of  others,  cultivate,  with  incessant  care,  this 
divine  gift.  No  music  below  the  skies  is  equal  to  that 
of  pure,  silvery  speech  from  the  lips  of  a  man  or  woman 
of  high  culture.  john  s.  hart. 

3.     THE  MUSIC   OF  THE  HUMAN  VOICE. 

1.  Willis,  in  his  essay  on  "  unwritten  music,"  has  placed 
the  appropriate  sound  of  the  female  voice  among  the 
most  beautiful  of  its  forms ;  and  there  is,  unquestiona- 
bly, a  fine  analogy  between  the  sound  of  the  running 
brook,  the  note  of  the  wood-bird,  the  voice  of  a  happy 
child,  the  low  breathing  of  a  flute,  and  the  clear,  soft 
tone  of  a  woman's  voice,  when  it  utters  the  natural 
music  of  home — the  accents  of  gentleness  and  love. 

2.  To  a  well-tuned  ear,  there  is  a  rich,  deep  melody 
in  the  distinctive  bass  of  the  male  voice,  in  its  subdued 
tones.  But  the  key-note  of  poetry  seems  to  have  been 
lent  to  woman.  On  the  ear  of  infancy  and  childhood, 
her  voice  was  meant  to  fall  as  a  winning  prelude  to  all 
the  other  melodies  of  nature ;  the  human  nerves  are 
attuned,  accordingly,  to  the  breath  of  her  voice;  and, 
through  life,  the  chords  of  the  heart  respond  most 
readily  to  her  touch. 

3.  Yet  how  often  is  this  result  impeded  by  the  pro- 
cesses of  artificial  culture;  by  the  over-excitement  of 
mind  and  nerve,  attending  excessive  application ;  by  that 
unwise  neglect  of  health  and  healthful  action,  which 
dims  the  eye  and  deadens  the  ear  to  beauty,  and  robs 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  281 

life  of  the  joyous  and  sympathetic  spirit  wliich  is  native 
to  childhood ;  and  which,  otherwise,  would  ever  be  gush- 
ing forth  in  notes  of  gladness  and  endearment,  the 
physical  not  less  than  the  moral  charm  of  human 
utterance  ! 

4.  There  are  beautiful  exceptions,  undoubtedly,  to  this 
general  fact  of  ungainly  habit.  But  the  ground  of  just 
complaint  is,  that  there  is  no  provision  made  in  our 
systems  of  education  for  the  cultivation  of  one  of 
woman's  peculiar  endowments — an  attractive  voice.  Our 
girls  do  not  come  home  to  us,  after  their  period  of 
school  life,  qualified  to  read  with  effect  in  their  own 
language.  There  is  wanting  in  their  voices  that  adap- 
tation of  tone  to  feeling,  which  is  the  music  of  the 
heart  in  reading;  there  is  wanting  that  clear,  impressive 
style  which  belongs  to  the  utterance  of  cultivated  taste 
and  judgment,  and  which  enhances  every  sentiment  by 
appropriate  emphasis  and  pause ;  there  is  even  a  w^ant 
of  that  distinct  articulation  which  alone  can  make  sound 
the  intelliofible  medium  of  thought,      peof.  William  russell. 


4.    THE  AET   OF  BEADING. 

1.  The  art  of  reading  w^ell  is  an  accomplishment  that 
all  desire  to  possess,  many  think  they  have  already, 
and  that  a  few  set  about  to  acquire.  These,  believing 
their  power  is  altogether  in  their  genius,  are,  after  a 
few  lessons  from  an  elocutionist,  disappointed  at  not 
becoming  themselves  at  once  masters  of  the  art;  and 
with  the  restless  vanity  of  their  belief,  abandon  the 
study  for  some  new  subject  of  trial  and  failure.  Such 
cases  of  infirmity  result  in  part  from  the  wavering 
character  of  the  human  tribe;  but  they  chiefly  arise 
from  defects  in  the  usual  course  of  instruction. 

2.  Go  to  some  of  our  colleges  and  universities,  and 
observe   how  the   art  of  speaking  is  not  taught  there. 


.282  .SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

See  a  boy  of  but  fifteen  years,  with  no  want  of  youth- 
ful diffidence,  and  not  without  a  craving  desire  to 
learn,  sent  upon  a  stage,  pale  and  choking  with  appre- 
hension;  being  forced  into  an  attempt  to  do  that, 
without  instruction,  which  he  came  purposely  to  learn ; 
and  furnishing  amusement  to  his  classmates,  by  a 
pardonable  awkwardness,,  that  should  be  punished,  in 
the  person  of  his  pretending  but  neglectful  preceptor, 
with  little  less  than  scourgiug. 

3.  Then  visit  a  conservatorio  of  music;  observe  there 
the  elementary  outset,  the  orderly  task,  the  masterly 
discipline,  the  unwearied  superintendence,  and  the  in- 
cessant toil  to  reach  the  utmost  accomplishment  in  the 
Singing- Voice  ;  and  afterwards  do  not  be  surprised  that 
the  pulpit,  the  senate,  the  bar,  and  the  chair  of  medical 
professorship,  are  filled  with  such  abominable  drawlers, 
moutliers,  mumblers,  clutterers,  squeakers,  chanters,  and 
mongers  in  monotony  ;*  nor  that  the  Schools  of  Singing 
ai'e  constantly  sending  abroad  those  great  instances  of 
vocal  wonder  who  triumph  along  the  crowded  resorts 
of  the  world ;  who  contribute  to  the  halls  of  fashion 
and  wealth  their  most  refined  source  of  gratification ; 
who  sometimes  quell  the  pride  of  rank  by  a  momentary 
sensation  of  envy;  and  who  draw  forth  the  admiration 
and  receive  the  crowning  applause  of  the  prince  and  sage. 

4.  The  high  accomplishments  in  elocution  are  sup- 
posed to  be  universally  tlie  unacquired  gifts  of  genius, 
and  to  consist  of  powders  and  graces  beyond  the  reach 
-of  art.  So  seem  the  plainest  services  of  arithmetic  to 
a  savage;  and  so,  to  the  slave,  seem  all  the  ways  of 
music  which  modern  art  has  so  accurately  penned,  as 
to  time,  and  tune,  and  momentary  grace.  Ignorance 
l<nows  not  what  has  been  done ;  indolence  thinks  nothing 
can  be  done ;  and  both  uniting,  borrow  from  the  abused 
eloquence  of  poetry  an  aphorism  to  justify  supineness 
of  inquiry.  ^  db.  rush. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  283 

5.     ON   LEAENING   BY  HEAET. 

1.  Till  he  lias  fairly  tried  it,  I  suspect  a  reader  does- 
not  know  how  much  he  would  gain  from  committing  to 
memory  passages  of  real  excellence ;  precisely  because 
he  does  not  know  how  much  he  overlooks  when  merely 
reading.  Learn  one  true  poem  by  heart,  and  see  if 
you  do  not  find  it  so.  Beauty  after  beauty  will  reveal 
itself,  in  chosen  phrase,  or  happy  music,  or  noble  sug- 
gestion, otherwise  undreamed  of  It  is  like  looking  at 
one  of  Nature's  Avonders  through  a  microscope. 

2.  Again :  how  much  in  such  a  poem  that  you  really 
did  feel  admirable  and  lovely  on  a  first  reading,  passes 
away,  if  you  do  not  give  it  a  further  and  much  better 
reading ! — passes  away  utterly,  like  a  sweet  sound,  or 
an  image  on  the  lake,  which  the  first  breath  of  wind 
dispels.  If  you  could  only  fix  that  image,  as  the  pho- 
tographers do  theirs,  so  beautifully,  so  perfectly !  And 
you  can  do  so !  Learn  it  by  heart,  and  it  is  yours  for 
ever ! 

3.  I  have  said,  a  true  poem;  for  naturally  men  will 
choose  to  learn  poetry — from  the  beginning  of  time  they 
have  done  so.  To  immortal  verse  the  memory  gives  a 
willing,  a  joyous,  and  a  lasting  home.  Some  prose, 
however,  is  poetical,  is  poetry,  and  altogether  worthy 
to  be  learned  by  heart ;  and  the  learning  is  not  so  very 
difficult.  It  is  not  difficult  or  toilsome  to  learn  that 
which  pleases  us;  and  the  labor,  once  given,  is  forgot- 
ten, while  the  result  remains. 

4.  Poems,  and  noble  extracts,  whether  of  verse  or  of 
prose,  once  so  reduced  into  possession  and  rendered 
truly  our  own,  may  be  to  us  a  daily  pleasure; — better 
far  than  a  whole  library  unused.  They  may  come  to  us 
in  our  dull  moments,  to  refresh  us  as  with  spring  flowers ; 
in  our  selfish  musings,  to  win  us  by  pure  delight  from 
the   tyranny  of    foolish   castle-building,   self-gratulations, 


284  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

and  mean  anxieties.  They  may  be  with  us  in  the  work- 
shop, in  the  crowded  street,  by  the  fireside;  sometimes, 
perhaps,  on  pleasant  hill-sides,  or  by  sounding  shores ; — 
noble  friends  and  companions — our  own !  never  intru- 
sive, ever  at  hand,  coming  at  our  call. 

5.  For  those,  in  particular,  whose  leisure  time  is  short, 
I  believe  there  could  not  be  a  better  expenditure  of 
time  than  deliberately  giving  an  occasional  hour — it 
requires  no  more — to  committing  to  memory  chosen 
passages  from  great  authors.  If  the  mind  were  thus 
daily  nourished  with  a  few  choice  words  of  the  best 
English  poets  and  writers  ;  if  the  habit  of  learning  by 
heart  were  to  become  so  general,  that,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  any  person  presuming  to  be  educated  might  be 
expected  to  be  equipped  with  a  few  good  pieces, — I  be- 
lieve that  it  would  lead,  much  more  than  the  mere 
sound  of  it  suggests,  to  the  diffusion  of  the  best  kind 
of  literature  and  to  the  right  appreciation  of  it;  and 
that  men  w^ould  not  long  rest  satisfied  with  knowing  a 
few  stock  pieces. 

6.  The  only  objection  I  can  conceive  to  what  I  have 
been  saying  is,  that  a  relish  for  higher  literature  may 
be  said  to  be  the  result  of  cultivation,  and  to  belong 
only  to  the  few.  But  I  do  not  admit  that  even  the 
higher  literature  must  belong  only  to  the  few.  Poetry 
is,  in  the  main,  essentially  catholic — addressed  to  all 
men;  and  though  some  poetry  requires  knowledge  and 
culture,  much,  and  that  the  noblest,  needs  only  natural 
feeling,  and  common  experience.  Such  poetry,  taken  in 
moderation,  followed  with  genuine  good-will,  shared  in 
common,  will  be  intelligible  and  delightful  to  most  men 
wdio  take  the  trouble  to  be  students  at  all,  and  ever 
more  and  more  so. 

7.  Perhaps,  also,  there  may  be  a  fragment  of  truth  in 
what  Charles  Larnb  has  said — that  any  spouting  "  withers 
and  blows  upon  a  fine  passage ; "  that  there  is  no  enjoy- 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  285 

ing  it  after  it  has  been  "pawed  about  by  declamatory 
boys  and  men."  But  surely  there  is  a  reasonable  habit 
of  recitation  as  well  as  an  unreasonable  one;  there  is 
no  need  of  declamatory  pawing.  To  abandon  all  recita- 
tion, is  to  give  up  a  custom  which  has  unquestionably 
given  delight  and  instruction  to  all  the  races  of  man- 
kind. If  our  faces  are  set  against  vain  display,  and  set 
tow^ards  rational  enjoyment  of  one  another,  w^e  need  not 
fear  that  our  social  evenings  will  be  marred  by  an  oc- 
casional recitation.  And,  moreover,  it  is  not  for  recit- 
ing's  sake  that  I  chiefly  recommend  this  most  faithful 
form  of  reading — learning  by  heart. 

8.  I  come  back,  therefore,  to  this,  that  learning  by 
heart  is  a  good  thing,  and  that  it  is  neglected  among  us. 
Why  is  it  neglected?  Partly  because  of  our  indolence; 
but  partly,  I  believe,  because  we  do  not  sufficiently  con- 
sider that  it  is  a  good  thing,  and  needs  to  be  taken  in 
hand.  We  need  to  be  reminded  of  it.  I  here  remind 
you.  Like  a  town-crier,  ringing  my  bell,  I  would  say 
to  you,  "  Oyez,  oyez !  Lost,  stolen,  or  strayed,  a  good 
ancient  practice — the  good  ancient  practice  of  learning 
by  heart.     Every  finder  shall  be  handsomely  rewarded." 

9.  If  you  ask,  "  What  shall  I  learn  ? "  the  answer  is, 
do  as  you  do  with  tunes — begin  with  wdiat  you  sincerely 
like  best,  Avhat  you  would  most  wish  to  remember,  w^hat 
you  would  most  enjoy  saying  to  yourself  or  repeating 
to  another.  You  will  soon  find  the  list  inexhaustible. 
Then  "  keeping  up "  is  easy.  Every  one  has  spare  ten 
minutes:  one  of  the  problems  of  life  is  how  to  employ 
them  usefully.  You  may  w^ell  spend  some  in  looking 
after  and  securing  this  good  property  you  have  won. 

LUSHINGTON. 


286  .SCHOOL  elocution; 

6.     SCHOOL  LIBEAEIES. 

1.  The  influence  of  well- selected  books  in  a  school  is 
second  only  to  that  of  the  teacher;  and  in  many  in- 
stances the  information,  self-gleaned  by  the  pupils,  is 
the  most  valuable  part  of  a  common-school  education. 

2.  A  teacher  may  fail  in  the  discharge  of  duty ;  but 
the  golden  grains  of  thought  gleaned  from  good  books 
will  spring  up  in  the  youthful  minds  and  yield  their 
fruit,  just  as  certainly  as  the  fertile  soil  of  our  beauti- 
ful valleys  rewards  the  toil  of  the  Imsbandman  with  a 
bountiful  harvest. 

3.  The  object  and  aim  of  the  public  school  should  be 
to  give  children  a  thirst  for  information,  a  taste  for 
reading ;  to  make  them  alive  to  knowledge ;  to  set  them 
out  on  the  path  of  self-education  through  life.  Why 
teach  them  to  read  at  all,  if  books  be  not  afterwards 
furnished  for  them  to  read  ? 

4  Not  many  years  ago,  in  one  of  the  obscure  towns 
of  Massachusetts,  there  lived  a  farmer's  boy  who  "went 
to  a  common  school"  in  the  winter,  and  worked  on  the 
farm  in  summer.  The  books  of  a  little  town  library 
fell  into  his  hands;  he  devoured  them,  and  hungered 
for  more.  He  grew  to  be  a  man,  and  was  acknowledged 
by  all  to  be  the  most  distinguished  American  educator 
of  his  time. 

5.  Every  public  scliool  in  our  country  is  a  debtor  to 
Horace  Mann.  He  thus  graphically  sums  up  the  advan- 
tage of  a  school  library:  "I^ow  no  one  thing  will 
contribute "  more  to  intelligent  reading  in  our  schools 
than  a  well-selected  library^  and^  through  intelligence, 
the  library  vdll  also  contribute  to  rhetorical  ease,  grace, 
and  expressiveness.  Wake  up  a  child  to  a  consciousness 
of  power  and  beauty,  and  you  might  as  easily  confine 
Hercules  to  a  distaff,  or  binc^  Apollo  to  a  tread-mill,  as 
to  confine  his  spirit  within  the  mechanical  round  of  a 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.:  28T 

school-room  where  such  mechanism  still  exists.  Let  a 
child  read  and  understand  such  stories  as  the  friendship 
of  Damon  and  Pythias,  the  integrity  of  Aristides,  the 
fidelity  of  Eegulus,  the  purity  of  Washington,  the  invinci- 
ble perseverance  of  Franklin,  and  he  will  think  differently 
and  act  differently  all  the  days  of  his  remaining  life. 

6.  "  Let  boys  or  girls  of  sixteen  years  of  age  read  an 
intelligible  and  popular  treatise  on  astronomy  and  geol- 
ogy, and  from  that  day  new  heavens  will  bend  over  their 
heads,  and  a  new  earth  will  spread  out  beneath  their  feet. 
A  mind  accustomed  to  go  rejoicing  over  the  splendid 
regions  of  the  material  universe,  or  to  luxuriate  in  the 
richer  worlds  of  thought,  can  never  afterwards  read  like 
a  wooden  machine— -a  thing  of  cranks  and  pipes — to  say 
nothing  of  the  pleasures  and  the  utility  it  will  realize." 


7.     POEMS. 

1.  Now  I  tell  you  a  poem  must  be  kept  ajid  used, 
like  a  meerschaum  or  a  violin.  A  poem  is  just  as 
porous  as  the  meerschaum — the  more  porous  it  is,  the 
better.  I  mean  to  say  that  a  genuine  poem  is  capable 
of  absorbing  an  indefinite  amount  of  the  essence  of  our 
own  humanity — its  tenderness,  its  heroism,  its  regrets, 
its  aspirations — so  as  to  be  gradually  stained  through 
with  a  divine  secondary  color  derived  from  ourselves. 
So,  you  see,  it  must  take  time  to  bring  the  sentiment 
of  a  poem  into  harmony  with  our  nature  by  staining 
ourselves  through  every  thought  and  image  our  being 
can  penetrate. 

2.  Then,  again,  as  to  the  mere  music  of  a  new  poem ; 
why,  who  can  expect  anything  more  from  that  than 
from  the  music  of  a  violin  fresh  from.;  the  maker's 
hands?  Now  you  know  very  well  that  there  are  no 
Jess  than  fifty-eight  different  pieces  in.  a  Yiolin,     ThesQ 


288  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

pieces  are  strangers  to  each  other,  and  it  takes  a  cen- 
tury, more  or  less,  to  make  them  thoroughly  acquainted. 
At  last  they  learn  to  vibrate  in  harmony,  and  the  in- 
strument becomes  an  organic  whole,  as  it  were  a  great 
seed  capsule,  which  had  grown  from  a  garden-bed  in 
Cremona,  or  elsewhere.  Besides,  the  wood  is  juicy  and 
full  of  sap  for  fifty  years  or  so,  but  at  the  end  of  fifty 
or  a  hundred  more  gets  tolerably  dry  and  comparatively 
resonant. 

3.  Don't  you  see  that  all  this  is  just  as  true  of  a 
poem  ?  Counting  each  word  as  a  piece,  there  are  more 
pieces  in  an  average  copy  of  verses  than  in  a  violin. 
The  poet  has  forced  all  these  words  together,  and  fast- 
ened them,  and  they  don't  understand  it  at  first.  But 
let  the  poem  be  repeated  aloud,  and  murmured  over  in 
the  mind's  muffled  wliisper  often  enough,  and  at  length 
the  parts  become  knit  together  in  such  absolute  soli- 
darity that  you  could  not  change  a  syllable  without  the 
whole  world's  crying  out  against  you  for  meddling  with 
the  harmonious  fabric.  holmes. 


8.     SCEOOGE  AND  MAELEY. 

1.  Marley  was  dead,  to  begin  with.  There  is  no  doubt 
whatever  about  that.  The  register  of  his  burial  was 
signed  by  the  clergyman,  the  clerk,  the  undertaker,  and 
the  chief  mourner.  Scrooge  signed  it.  And  Scrooge's 
name  was  good  upon  'Change,  for  anything  he  chose  to 
put  his  hand  to.  Old  Marley  was  as  dead  as  a  door- 
nail. 

2.  Mind !  I  do  n't  mean  to  say  that  I  know,  of  my 
own  knowledge,  what  there  is  particularly  dead  about 
a  door-nail.  I  might  have  been  inclined  myself,  to 
regard  a  coffin-nail  as  the  deadest  piece  of  ironmongery 
in   the   trade.     But  the   wisdom  of  our   ancestors  is  in 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  289 

the  simile;  and  my  imliallowed  hands  shall  not  disturb 
it,  or  the  country's  done  for.  You  will  therefore  per- 
mit me  to  repeat,  emphatically,  that  Marley  was  as  dead 
as  a  door-nail. 

3.  Scrooge  knew  he  was  dead  ?  Of  course  he  did. 
How  could  it  be  otherwise  ?  Scrooge  and  he  were 
partners  for  1  don't  know  how  many  years.  Scrooge 
was  his  sole  executor,  his  sole  administrator,  his  sole 
assign,  his  sole  residuary  legatee,  his  sole  friend,  and 
sole  mourner.  And  even  Scrooge  was  not  so  dread- 
fully cut  up  by  the  sad  event,  but  that  he  was  an  ex- 
cellent man  of  business  on  the  very  day  of  the  funeral, 
and  solemnized  it  with  an  undoubted   bargain. 

4.  Scrooge  never  painted  out  old  Marley's  name. 
There  it  stood,  years  afterwards,  above  the  warehouse 
door:  Scrooge  and  Marley.  The  firm  was  known  as 
Scrooge  and  Marley.  Sometimes  people  new  to  the 
business  called  Scrooge,  Scrooge,  and  sometimes  Marley, 
but  he  answered  to  both  names.  It  was  all  the  same 
to  him. 

5.  Oh !  but  he  was  a  tight-fisted  hand  at  the  grind- 
stone, Scrooge !  A  squeezing,  wrenching,  grasping,  scrap- 
ing, clutching,  covetous  old  sinner!  Hard  and  sharp 
as  flint  from  which  no  steel  had  ever  struck  out  gen- 
erous fire ;  secret,  and  self-contained,  and  solitary  as  an 
oyster.  The  cold  within  him  froze  his  old  features, 
nipped  liis  pointed  nose,  shriveled  his  cheek,  stiffened 
his  gait;  made  his  eyes  red,  his  thin  lips  blue;  and 
spoke  out  shrewdly  in  his  grating  voice.  A  frosty  rime 
was  on  liis  head,  and  on  his  eyebrows,  and  his  wiry 
chin.  He  carried  his  own  low  temperature  always 
about  with  him ;  he  iced  his  office  in  the  dog-days ;  and 
didn't  thaw  it  one  degree  at  Christmas. 

6.  External  heat  and  cold  had  little  influence  on 
Scrooge.  No  warmth  could  warm,  no  wintry  weather 
chill  him.     No  wind  that  blew  was  bitterer  than  he,  no 

19 


290  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

-falling  snow  was  more  intent  upon  its  purpose,  no 
pelting  rain  less  open  to  entreaty.  Foul  weather  did  n't 
know  where  to  have  him.  The  heaviest  rain,  and  snow, 
and  hail,  and  sleet,  could  boast  of  the  advantage  over 
him  in  only  one  respect.  They  often  *'came  down 
handsomely,"  and  Scrooge  never  did. 

7.  ISTobody  ever  stopped  him  in  the  street  to  say, 
with  gladsome  looks,  "My  dear  Scrooge,  how  are  you  ? 
When  will  you  come  to  see  me?"  'No  beggars  implored 
him  to  bestow  a  trifle,  no  children  asked  him  what  it 
was  o'clock,  no  man  or  woman  ever  once  in  all  his  life 
inquired  the  way  to  such  and  such  a  place,  of  Scrooge. 
Even  the  blind  men's  dogs  appeared  to  know  him  ;  and 
when  they  saw  him  coming  on,  would  tug  their  owners 
into  doorways  and  up  courts;  and  then  would  wag 
their  tails  as  though  they  said,  "No  eye  at  all  is  better 
than  an  evil  eye,  dark  master ! " 

8.  But  what  did  Scrooge  care !  It  was  the  very 
thing  he  liked.  To  edge  his  way  along  the  crowded 
paths  of  life,  warning  all  human  sympathy  to  keep  it^ 
distance,  was  what  the  knowing  ones  called  "  nuts  "  to 
Scrooge. 

9.  Once  upon  a  time — of  all  the  good  days  in  the 
year,  on  Christmas  eve — old  Scrooge  sat  busy  in  his 
counting-house.  It  was  cold,  bleak,  biting  weather: 
foggy  withal;  and  he  could  hear  the  people  in  the 
court  outside  go  wheezing  up  and  down,  beating  their 
hands  upon  their  breasts,  and  stamping  their  feet  upon 
the  pavement  stones  to  w^arm  them.  The  city  clocks 
had  only  just  gone  three,  but  it  was  quite  dark  already — 
it  had  not  been  light  all  day — and  candles  were  flaring 
in  the  windows  of  the  neighboring  offices,  like  ruddy 
smears  upon  the  palpable  brown  air.  The  fog  came 
pouring  in  at  every  chink  and  key-hole,  and  was  so 
dense  without,  that  althougli  the  court  was  of  the  nar- 
rowest,  the   houses   opposite   were   mere   phantoms.     To 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  291 

see  the  clingy  cloud  come  drooping  down,  obscuring 
everything,  one  might  have  thought  that  N'ature  lived 
hard  by,  and  was  brewing  on  a  large  scale. 

10.  The  door  of  Scrooge's  counting-house  w^as  open, 
that  he  might  keep  his  eye  upon  his  clerk,  who  in  a 
dismal  little  cell  beyond,  a  sort  of  tank,  w^as  copying 
letters.  Scrooge  had  a  very  small  fire,  but  the  clerk's 
fire  was  so  very  much  smaller  that  it  looked  like  one 
coal.  But  he  could  not  replenish  it,  for  Scrooge  kept 
the  coal-box  in  his  own  room ;  and  so  surely  as  the 
clerk  came  in  with  the  shovel,  the  master  predicted  that 
it  would  be  necessary  for  them  to  part.  Wherefore,  the 
clerk  put  on  his  white  comforter,  and.  tried  to  warm 
himself  at  the  candle ;  in  which  effort,  not  being  a  man 
of  a  strouG^  imasrination,  he  failed. 

11.  ''A  merry  Christmas,  uncle!  God  save  you!" 
cried  a  cheerful  voice.  It  was  the  voice  of  Scrooge's 
nephew,  who  came  upon  him  so  quickly  that  this  was 
the  first  intimation  Scrooge  had  of  his  approach. 

"  Bah  ! "  said  Scrooge  ;  "  humbug  !  " 
"  Christmas  a  humbug,  uncle !     You  do  n't  mean  that, 
I  am  sure  ?  " 

12.  "I  do.  Out  upon  merry  Christmas!  What's 
Christmas  time  to  you  but  a  time  for  paying  bills 
without  money ;  a  time  for  finding  yourself  a  year 
older,  and  not  an  hour  richer ;  a  time  for  balancing 
your  books  and  having  every  item  in  'em  through  a 
round  dozen  of  months  presented  dead  against  you  ? 
If  I  had  my  will,  every  idiot  who  goes  about  with 
'  Merry  Christmas '  on  his  lips  should  be  boiled  with  his 
own  pudding,  and  buried  with  a  stake  of  holly  through 
his  heart.     He  should !  " 

''  Uncle  !  " 

13.  "  ISTephew,  keep  Christmas  in  your  own  way,  and 
let  me  keep  it  in  mine." 

"  Keep  it !     But  you  do  n't  keep  it." 


292  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

"  Let  me  leave  it  alone,  then.  Much  good  may  it  do 
you !     Much  good  it  has  ever  done  you ! " 

14.  "  There  are  many  things  from  which  I  might 
have  derived  good,  by  which  I  have  not  profited,  I  dare 
say,  Christmas  among  the  rest.  But  I  am  sure  I  have 
always  thought  of  Christmas  time,  when  it  has  come 
round — apart  from  the  veneration  due  to  its  sacred 
origin,  if  anything  belonging  to  it  can  be  apart  from 
that — as  a  good  time;  a  kind,  forgiving,  charitable, 
pleasant  time;  the  only  time  I  know  of,  in  the  long 
calendar  of  the  year,  when  men  and  women  seem  by 
one  consent  to  open  their  shut-up  hearts  freely,  and  to 
think  of  people  below  them  as  if  they  really  were  fel- 
low-travelers to  the  grave,  and  not  another  race  of 
creatures  bound  on  other  journeys.  And  therefore, 
uncle,  though  it  has  never  put  a  scrap  of  gold  or  silver 
in  my  pocket,  I  believe  that  it  has  done  me  good,  and 
will  do  me  good  ;  and  I  say,  God  bless  it ! " 

The  clerk  in  the  tank  involuntarily  applauded. 

15.  "Let  me  hear  another  sound  from  yo^t''  said 
Scrooge,  "and  you  11  keep  your  Christmas  by  losing 
your  situation  !  You  're  quite  a  powerful  speaker,  sir," 
he  added,  turning  to  his  nephew.  "I  wonder  you  don't 
go  into  Parliament." 

"Do  n't  be  angry,  uncle.  Come  !  Dine  with  us  to- 
morrow." 

16.  Scrooge  said  that  he  would  see  him — yes,  indeed 
he  did.  He  went  the  whole  length  of  the  expression, 
and  said  that  he  would  see  him  in  that  extremity  first. 

"But  why?"  cried  Scrooge's  nephew.     "Why?" 
"  Why  did  you  get  married  ?  " 
"  Because  I  fell  in  love." 

17.  "Because  you  fell  in  love!"  growled  Scrooge,  as 
if  that  were  the  only  one  thing  in  the  world  more  rid- 
iculous than  a  merry  Christmas.     "  Good-afternoon  ! " 

''  Nay,  uncle,  but   you  never   came   to  see  me   before 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  293 

that  happened.  Why  give  it  as  a  reason  for  not  coming 
now  ? " 

"  Good-afternoon ! " 

"  I  want  nothing  from  you ;  I  ask  nothing  of  you ; 
why  cannot  we  be  friends  ? " 

"  Good-afternoon  ! " 

18.  "  I  am  sorry,  with  all  my  heart,  to  find  you  so 
resolute.  We  have  never  had  any  quarrel  to  which  I 
have  been  a  party.  But  I  have  made  the  trial  in  homage 
to  Christmas,  and  I  '11  keep  my  Christmas  humor  to  the 
last.     So  a  merry  Christmas,  uncle  !  " 

"  Good-afternoon ! " 

*'  And  a  happy  New  Year ! " 

"Good-afternoon!"  I>icke:js's  "Christmas Carol" 


9.    DEFENSE   OF  POETEY. 

1.  We  believe  that  poetry,  far  from  injuring  society, 
is  one  of  the  great  instruments  of  its  refinement  and 
exaltation.  It  lifts  the  mind  ahbvc  ordinary  lifey  gives 
it  a  respite  from  depressing  cares,  and  awakens  the  con- 
sciousness of  its  afftnity  with  what  is  pllre  and  nbhle. 
In  its  legitimate  and  highest  efforts,  it  has  the  same 
tendency  and  aim  with  Christianity;  that  is,  to  splr- 
itiialize  our  nature. 

2.  True,  poetry  has  been  made  the  instrument  of  vice, 
the  pander  of  bad  passions ;  but  when  genius  thus 
stoops,  it  dims  its  fires,  and  parts  with  much  of  its 
power;  and  even  when  Poetry  is  enslaved  to  licentious- 
ness and  mis^mthropy,  she  can  not  wholly  forget  her 
triie  voctition.  Strains  of  piire  feeling,  touches  of  tender- 
ness, images  of  innocent  happiness,  sympathies  with  what 
is  gdod  in  our  nature,  bursts  of  scorn  or  indignation 
at  the  hoUowness  of  the  v)6rld,  passages  true  to  our 
mhral    nature,  often    escape  in   an  immoral  work,  and 


294  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

show  US   how  hard   it   is   for  a  gifted  spirit   to  divorce 
itself  wholly  from  what  is  good. 

3.  Poetry  has  a  natural  alliance  with  our  best  affec- 
tions.  It  delights  in  the  beauty  and  sublimity  of  outward 
nature  and  of  the  sbid.  It  indeed  portrays  with  terrible 
energy  the  excesses  of  the  ijctssions,  but  they  are  passions 
which  show  a  mighty  nocture,  wliich  are  full  of  ijower, 
which  command  diue,  and  excite  a  deep  though  shudder- 
ing sympathy, 

4.  Its  great  tendency  and  2^'^'^pose  is  to  carry  tlie  mind 
heyond  and  abbve  the  beaten,  diisty,  w^ary  walks  of  ordi- 
nary life ;  to  lift  it  into  a  purer  Element,  and  to  breathe 
into  it  more  profound  and  generous  emhtion.  It  reveals 
to  us  the  loveliness  of  nature,  brings  back  the  freshness 
of  youthful  feeling,  revives  the  relish  of  simple  plktsures, 
keeps  unquenched  the  enthusiasm  which  warmed  the 
spring-time  of  our  being,  reiines  youthful' Z^^•<3,  strength- 
ens our  interest  in  human  ndtiire  by  vivid  delineations 
of  its  tenderest  and  loftiest  feelings,  spreads  our  sympa- 
thies over  all  classes  of  society,  knits  us  by  new  ties  with 
universal  being,  and,  through  the  brightness  of  its  pro- 
phetic visions,  helps  fdith  to  lay  hold  on  the  future  life, 

5.  We  are  aware  that  it  is  objected  to  poetry  tliat  it 
gives  ivrdng  vievjs  and  excites  false  expect d.t ions  of  life, 
peoples  the  mind  with  shadows  and  illibsions,  and  builds 
up  imagination  on  the  ruins  of  ivlsdom.  That  there  is 
a  wisdom  against  which  poetry  wars— the  wisdom  of  the 
shises,  which  makes  p)hysiccd  comfort  and  gratification 
the  supreme  good,  and  vjealth  i\iQ  chief  interest  of  life — 
we  do  not  deny ;  nor  do  we  deem  it  the  least  service 
which  poetry  renders  to  mankind,  that  it  redeems  them 
from  the  thralldom  of  this  earth-born  prudence. 

6.  But,  passing  over  this  topic,  we  would  observe  that 
the  complaint  against  pdetry,  as  abounding  in  illusion 
and  deception,  is,  in  the  main,  grbundless.  In  many 
poems  there  is  more  of  trilth  than  in  many  histories  and 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  295 

pliilosopliic  tMorics.  The  fictions  of  genius  are  often  the 
vehicles  of  the  sublimcst  verities,  and  its  Jldshes  often 
open  oiew  regions  of  thought,  and  throw  new  light  on 
the  mysteries  of  our  being.  In  poetry,  when  the  letter  is 
falsehood,  the  S29^r^Y  is  often  profoiindest  luisdom. 

7.  And  if  trvith  thus  dwells  in  the  boldest  fictions  of 
the  poet,  much  more  may  it  be  expected  in  his  dclineci' 
tions  of  life ;  for  the  present  life,  which  is  the  first  stage 
of  the  immortal  mind,  abounds  in  the  materials  of  poetry, 
and  it  is  the  high  office  of  the  bard  to  detect  this  divine 
element  among  the  grosser  labors  and  pleasures  of  our 
earthly  being.  The  ]3rlsent  life  is  not  wholly  prosaic, 
precise,  tame,  and  finite.  To  the  gifted  eye  it  abounds 
in  the  j^oetic. 

8.  The  affections,  which  spread  beyond  ourselves  and 
stretch  far  into  futiirity  ;  the  workings  of  mighty  p)dssions, 
which  seem  to  arm  the  soul  with  an  almost  superhuman 
energy ;  the  innocent  and  irrepressible  joy  of  infancy ; 
the  bloom,  and  buoyancy,  and  dazzling  hopes  of  youth; 
the  throbbings  of  the  heart,  when  it  first  wakes  to  love, 
and  dreams  of  a  happiness  too  vast  for  earth;  woman, 
with  her  beauty,  and  grace,  and  gdntleness,  and  fullness 
of  fueling,  and  depth  of  affection,  and  blushes  of  purity, 
and  the  tones  and  looks  which  only  a  mdther's  heart  can 
inspire — these  are  dll  poetical. 

9.  It  is  7iot  trUe  that  the  poet  paints  a  life  which 
does  not  exist.  He  only  extracts  and  concentrates,  as  it* 
w^re,  life's  ethereal  essence,  arrdsts  and  condenses  its 
volatile  fragrance,  brings  together  its  scattered  beauties, 
and  prolongs  its  more  refined  but  evanescent  joys.  And 
in  this  he  does  well;  for  it  is  good  to  feel  that  life  is 
not  wholly  usurped  by  cares  for  subsistence  and  physical 
gratifications,  but  admits,  in  measures  which  may  be 
indefinitely  enlarged,  sentiments  and  delights  worthy  of 
a  higher  being.  channino. 


296  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

10.     FALSTAFF. 

[This  extract  affords  an  example  of  ^^ humorous  style f'  with  prevail- 
ing  circumflex  inflections,'] 

1.  There  is  something  cordial  in  a  fat  man.  Every- 
body likes  himy  and  he  likes  everyhody.  Food  does  a  fat 
man  good;  it  clings  to  him;  it  fructifies  upon  him;  he 
swells  nohly  out,  and  fills  a  gSnerous  space  in  life.  A 
fat  man,  therefore,  almost  in  virtue  of  heing  a  fat  man, 
is,  per  se,  a  popular  man ;  and  he  commonly  deserves  his 
popularity. 

2.  A  fat  man  feels  his  position  s6lid  in  the  world; 
he  knows  that  his  being  is  cognizable;  lie  knows  that 
he  has  a  mdrked  plhce  in  the  universe,  and  that  he  need 
take  no  extraordinary  pains  to  advertise  mankind  that 
lie  is  among  them;  he  knows  that  he  is  in  no  danger 
of  beiuG:  overlooked. 

3.  A  fat  man  is  the  nearest  to  that  most  perfect  of 
figures,  a  mathcmdtical  sphere;  a  thin  man,  to  that  most 
limited  of  conceivable  dimensions,  a  simple  line.  A  fat 
man  is  a  being  of  harnidnioics  volume,  and  holds  relations 
to  the  material  universe  in  every  direction  ;  a  thm  man 
has  nothing  but  length ;  a  thm  man,  in  fact,  is  but  the 
continuation  of  a  pdint. 

4.  Well  then  might  Falstaff  exult  in  his  size;  well 
might  he  mock  at  the  prince,  and  his  other  lea7i  contem- 
poraries ;  and,  accordingly,  when  he  would  address  the 
prince  in  terms  the  most  degrading,  he  heaps  epithet 
upon  epithet,  eacli  expressive  of  the  utmost  leanness. 
''  Aivdy,  you  starveling''  he  exclaims  ;  "  you  eel-shin ;  you 
dried  Tiea^'s- tongue;  you  6'^06'Z;-fish.  0  for  breath  to  utter 
wdiat  is  like  thee  ! " 

5.  Falstaff  was  an  epicure,  but  no  gliltton.  He  was 
not  a  great  later,  for  his  bill  contained  a  halfpenny- 
worth of  brlad  to  an  intolerable  quantity  of  sack.  And 
although  Falstaff  was  a  large  drinker,  he  was  no  inebriate. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  297 

And  here  we  conceive  a  consummate  art  in  Shakespeare, 
who  sustains  Falstaff  throughout  in  our  intellectmd 
respect.     ... 

6.  As  to  Ites,  they  were  in  the  way  of  his  vocation. 
The  highest  stretch  of  imciginhtion  could  not  even  sus- 
pect him  of  veracity ;  and  if  he  had  any  ddpes,  they  were 
strongly  in  love  with  deception.  His  lies,  too,  were  the 
lies  of  a  professed  and  known  wit ;  they  were  designed 
only  for  Mdicroits  effect,  and  generally  were  little  more 
than  edmic  exaggercctions.  In  the  events  at  Gad's  hill, 
and  those  that  immediately  follow  them,  there  is  an 
epitome  of  the  whole  character  of  Falstaff;  but  there  is, 
at  the  same  time,  an  evident  design  on  the  part  of  the 
poet,  to  bring  out  his  peculiarities  with  grotesque  extrav- 
agance, and  to  produce  the  broadest  and  the  most  comic 
result.     .     .     . 

7.  Falstaff  has  both  vnt  and  hiimor ;  but  more  of  wit, 
I  tliink,  than  Jivimor.  Between  wit  and  humor  there  is 
an  evident  distinction,  but  to  submit  the  distinction  to 
minute  criticism  would  require  more  time  than  we  can 
spare ;  and,  after  all,  it  is  more  easy  to  J  eel  than  to 
explain  it.  Wit  implies  thdught ;  hiimor,  sensibility.  Wit 
deals  with  ideas;  hiimor,  with  actions  and  with  mdn- 
ners.  W\t  may  be  a  thing  of  pure  imaginhtion ;  hiimor 
involves  sentiment  and  character.  Wit  is  an  essence  ; 
hiimor,  an  incarnatioii. 

8.  Wit  and  humor,  however,  have  some  qualities  in 
common.  Both  develop  unexpected  analogies;  both  in- 
clude the  principles  of  cdntrast  and  assi7nilcction ;  both 
detect  inward  resemblances  amidst  Eternal  differences, 
and  the  result  of  both  is  pleasurable  surprise;  the  sur- 
prise from  tvit  excites  admiration,  the  surprise  from 
hiimor  stimulates  merrimeiit,  and  produces  laughter. 

9.  Falstaff 's  wit  is  rich  as  his  imagination ;  as  prolific 
as  it  is  felicitous.  It  is  pilngent,  cbpious,  brilliant  in 
expression,  and  decisive  in  effect.     It  never  falls  short  of 


298  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

its  aim,  and  never  7msses  it.     And  this  rare  wit  is  wholly 

devoted    to    the    ludicrous.  henry  Giles. 


11.     WEALTH. 

1.  As  soon  as  a  stranger  is  introduced  into  any  com- 
pany, one  of  the  first  questions  which  all  wish  to  have 
answered,  is,  How  does  that  man  get  his  living  ?  And 
with  reason.  He  is  no  whole  man  until  he  knows  how 
to  earn  a  blameless  livelihood.  Society  is  barbarous, 
until  every  industrious  man  can  get  his  living  without 
dishonest  customs. 

2.  Every  man  is  a  consumer,  and  ought  to  be  a  pro- 
ducer. He  fails  to  make  his  place  good  in  the  world, 
unless  he  not  only  pays  his  debt,  but  also  adds  some- 
thing to  the  common  wealth.  ISTor  can  he  do  justice 
to  his  genius,  without  making  some  larger  demand  on 
the  world  than  a  bare  subsistence.  He  is  by  constitu- 
tion expensive,  and  needs  to  be  rich. 

3.  Wealth  has  its  source  in  applications  of  the  mind 
to  nature,  from  the  rudest  strokes  of  spade  and  ax, 
up  to  the  last  secrets  of  art.  Intimate  ties  subsist  be- 
tween thought  and  all  production ;  because  a  better  or- 
der is  equivalent  to  vast  amounts  of  brute  labor.  The 
forces  and  tlie  resistances  are  Nature's,  but  the  mind 
acts  in  bringing  things  from  where  they  abound  to  where 
they  are  wanted ;  in  wise  combining ;  in  directing  the 
practice  of  the  useful  arts,  and  in  the  creation  of  finer 
values,  by  fine  art,  by  eloquence,  by  song,  or  the  repro- 
ductions of  memory. 

4.  Wealth  is  in  applications  of  mind  to  nature;  and 
the  art  of  getting  rich  consists  not  in  industry,  much 
less  in  saving,  but  in  a  better  order,  in  timeliness,  in 
being  at  the  right  spot.  One  man  has  stronger  arms, 
or  longer  legs ;    another  sees  by  the  course  of  streams, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  299 

and  growth  of  markets,  where  land  will  be  wanted, 
makes  a  clearing  to  the  river,  goes  to  sleep,  and  wakes 
up  rich.  Steam  is  no  stronger  now,  than  it  was  a  hun- 
dred years  ago;  but  is  put  to  better  use.  A  clever 
fellow  was  acquahited  with  the  expansive  force  of  steam ; 
he  also  saw  the  w^ealth  of  w^heat  and  grass  rotting  in 
Michigan.  Then  he  cunningly  screws  on  the  steam-pipe 
to  the  wheat  crop.  Puff  now,  O  Steam !  The  steam 
puffs  and  expands  as  before,  but  this  time  it  is  dragging 
all  Michigan  at  its  back  to  hungry  N'ew  York  and 
hungry  England. 

5.  Coal  lay  in  ledges  under  the  ground  since  the 
flood,  until  a  laborer  with  pick  and  windlass  brings  it 
to  the  surface.  We  may  well  call  it  black  diamonds. 
Every  basket  is  power  and  civilization.  For  coal  is  a 
portable  climate.  It  carries  the  heat  of  the  tropics  to 
Labrador  and  the  polar  circle :  and  it  is  the  means  of 
transporting  itself  whithersoever  it  is  wanted.  Watt 
and  Stephenson  whispered  in  the  ear  of  mankind  their 
secret,  that  a  half  ovmcg  of  coal  will  draw  two  tons  a 
mile,  and  coal  carries  coal,  by  rail  and  by  boat,  to  make 
Canada  as  warm  as  Calcutta,  and  wdth  its  comfort  brings 
its  industrial  power. 

6.  When  the  farmer's  peaches  are  taken  from  under 
the  tree,  and  carried  into  town,  they  have  a  new  look, 
and  a  hundredfold  value  over  the  fruit  which  grew  on 
the  same  bough,  and  lies  fulsomely  on  the  ground. 
The  craft  of  the  merchant  is  this  bringing  a  thing  from 
where  it  abounds,  to  w^here  it  is  costly. 

7.  Wealth  begins  in  a  tight  roof  that  keeps  the  rain 
and  wind  out;  in  a  good  pump  that  yields  you  plenty 
of  sweet  water;  in  two  suits  of  clothes,  so  to  change 
your  dress  when  you  are  wet;  in  dry  sticks  to  burn; 
in  a  good  double-wick  lamp;  and  three  meals;  in  a 
horse,  or  a  locomotive,  to  cross  the  land;  in  a  boat  to 
cross  the  sea;  in  tools  to  work  with;  in  books  to  read; 


300  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

and  so,  in  giving,  on  all  sides,  by  tools  and  auxiliaries, 
the  greatest  possible  extension  to  our  powers,  as  if  it 
added  feet,  and  hands,  and  eyes,  and  blood,  length  to 
the  day,  and  knowledge,  and  good-will. 

8.  Wealth  begins  with  these  articles  of  necessity.  And 
here  we  must  recite  the  iron  law  which  Nature  thunders 
in  these  northern  climates.  First,  she  requires  that  each 
man  should  feed  himself.  If,  happily,  his  fathers  have 
left  him  no  inheritance,  he  must  go  to  work,  and  by 
making  his  wants  less,  or  his  gains  more,  lie  must  draw 
himself  out  of  that  state  of  pain  and  insult  in  which 
she  forces  the  beggar  to  lie.  She  gives  him  no  rest 
until  this  is  done.  She  starves,  taunts,  and  torments 
him,  takes  away  warmth,  laughter,  sleep,  friends,  and 
daylight,  until  he  has  fought  his  way  to  his  ow^n  loaf. 
Then,  less  peremptorily,  but  still  with  sting  enough, 
she  urges  him  to  the  acquisition  of  such  things  as  be- 
long to  him.  Every  warehouse  and  shop-window,  every 
fruit-tree,  every  thought  of  every  hour,  opens  a  new 
want  to  him,  which  it  concerns   his   power  and   dignity 

to    gratliy.  Emerson's  Essays. 


12.     THE  ASTEONOMER'S  VISIOK 

[This  extract,  translated  and  paraphrased  hy  Professor  Mitchell^  is 
characterized  hy  solemnity  and  suhlimityf  awe  and  wonder.  It  should 
be  read  with  subdued  force,  median  stress,  orotund  quality,  low  pitch.'] 

1.  God  called  up  from  dreams  a  man  into  the  vesti- 
hule  of  heaven,  saying,  "  Come  thou  hither  and  see  the 
glory  of  my  house."  And  to  the  servants  that  stood 
around  his  throne  he  said,  "  Take  him,  and  undress  him 
from  his  robes  of  fl^sh :  cleanse  his  vision,  and  put  a 
new  breath  into  his  nostrils:  only  touch  not  with  any 
change  his  human  heart — the  heart  that  weeps  and 
trhnhles." 

2.  It  was    dbne:    and,   with   a   mighty   angel   for   his 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  301 

guide,  the  man  stood  ready  for  his  infinite  vbyage ;  and 
from  the  terraces  of  heaven,  without  sound  or  farewell, 
at  once  they  wheeled  away  into  Endless  space.  Some- 
times with  the  solemn  flight  of  angel  icing  they  fled 
throusfh  infinite  realms  of  ddrJcness,  throu^^h  wildernesses 
of  dSath,  that  divided  the  wdrlds  of  life;  sometimes 
they  swept  over  frontiers  that  were  quickening  under 
prophetic  motions  from  God. 

3.  Then  from  a  distance  that  is  counted  only  in 
heaven,  light  dawned  for  a  time  through  a  sleepy  fllrn^ ; 
by  unutterable  pace,  the  light  swept  to  them,  they,  by 
unutterable  pace,  to  the  light.  In  a  moment,  the  rushing 
of  planets  was  upon  them :  in  a  moment,  the  blazing  of 
siins  was  around  them. 

4.  Then  came  eternities  of  twilight,  that  revealed,  but 
were  not  revealed.  On  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left 
toward  mighty  constellations,  that  by  self-repetitions  and 
answers  from  afar,  that  by  counter-positions,  built  up 
triumphal  gates,  whose  architraves,  whose  archways — 
horizontal,  upright — rested,  rose  at  altitude,  by  spans 
that  seemed  ghostly  from  infinitude.  Without  measure 
w^ere  the  architraves,  past  nllmher  were  the  drchways, 
heyond  memory  the  gates. 

5.  Within  weve  stairs  that  scaled  the  eternities  below; 
above  was  belbiu — below  was  above,  to  the  man  stripped 
of  gravitating  body:  depth  was  swallowed  up  in  height 
insurmountable,  height  was  swallowed  up  in  depth  un- 
fdthomable.  Suddenly,  as  thus  they  rode  from  infinite 
to  infinite,  siiddenly,  as  thus  they  tilted  over  abysmal 
worlds,  a  mighty  cry  arose — that  systems  more  mysteri- 
ous, that  worlds  more  billowy, — other  heights  and  other 
depths, — were  coming,  were  nearing,  were  at  hand. 

6.  Then  the  man  sighed,  and  stdoped,  shuddered,  and 
wept.  His  overladen  heart  uttered  itself  in  tears,  and 
he  said:  "Angel^,  I  will  go  no  farther.  For  the  spirit 
of  man   dcheth  with   this   infinity.      Insiiffcrable   is   the 


302  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

glory  of  Ghd.  Let  me  lie  down  in  the  grave  and  hide 
me  from  the  prosecution  of  the  Infinite;  for  end,  I  see, 
there  is  none.'' 

7.  And  from  all  the  listening  stars  that  shone  around 
issued  a  choral  vdice :  "  The  man  speaks  truly :  end 
there  is  none,  that  ever  yet  we  heard  of."  "  End^  is 
there  none  ? "  the  angel  solemnly  demanded.  "  Is  there 
indeed  no  dnd  ? — and  is  this  the  sorrow  that  hills  you  ? '' 
But  no  voice  Answered,  that  he  might  answer  himself. 
Then  the  angel  threw  up  his  glorious  hands  to  the 
heaven  of  heavens,  saying,  ''  End^  is  there  none  to  the 
universe  of  God.     Lo  I   also,  there  is  no  beginning!' 


13.     EDUCATION. 

1.  Suppose  it  were  perfectly  certain  that  the  life  and 
fortune  of  every  one  of  us  would,  one  day  or  other, 
depend  upon  his  winning  or  losing  a  game  at  chess. 
Do  n't  you  think  that  we  should  all  consider  it  to  be  a 
primary  duty  to  learn  at  least  the  names  and  the  moves 
of  the  pieces ;  to  have  a  notion  of  a  gambit,  and  a  keen 
eye  for  all  the  means  of  giving  and  getting  out  of  check  ? 
Do  you  not  think  that  we  should  look  with  a  disappro- 
bation amounting  to  scorn,  upon  the  father  who  allowed 
his  son,  or  the  state  which  allowed  its  members,  to  grow 
up  without  knowing  a'  pawn  from  a  knight? 

2.  Yet  it  is  a  very  plain  and  elementary  truth,  that 
the  life,  the  fortune,  and  the  happiness  of  every  one  of 
us,  and,  more  or  less,  of  those  who  are  connected  with 
us,  do  depend  upon  our  knowing  something  of  the  rules 
of  a  game  infinitely  more  difficult  and  complicated  than 
chess.  It  is  a  game  which  has  been  played  for  untold 
ages,  every  man  and  woman  of  us  being  one  of  the 
two  players  in  a  game  of  his  or  her  own.  The  chess- 
board is  the  world,  the  pieces  are  the  phenomena  of  the 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  303 

universe,  tlie  rules  of  the  game  are  what  we  call  the 
laws  of  Nature. 

3.  The  player  on  the  other  side  is  hidden  from  us. 
We  know  that  his  play  is  always  fair,  just,  and  patient. 
But  also  we  know,  to  our  cost,  that  he  never  overlooks 
a  mistake,  or  makes  the  smallest  allowance  for  ignorance. 
To  the  man  who  plays  well,  the  highest  stakes  are  paid, 
with  that  sort  of  overflowing  generosity  with  which  the 
strong  shows  delight  in  strength.  And  one  who  plays 
ill  is  checkmated — without   liaste,  but  without  remorse. 

4.  Well,  what  I  mean  by  Education  is  learning  the 
rules  of  this  mighty  game.  In  other  words,  education 
is  the  instruction  of  the  intellect  in  the  laws  of  j^ature, 
under  which  name  I  include  not  merely  things  and  their 
forces,  but  men  and  their  ways;  and  the  fashioning  of 
the  affections  and  of  the  will  into  an  earnest  and  loving 
desire  to  move  in  harmony  with  those  laws.  For  me, 
education  means  neither  more  nor  less  than  this.  Any- 
thing which  professes  to  call  itself  education  must  be 
tried  by  this  standard,  and  if  it  fails  to  stand  the  test, 
I  will  not  call  it  education,  whatever  may  be  the  force 
of  authority,  or  of  numbers,  upon  the  other  side. 

5.  It  is  important  to  remember  that,  in  strictness, 
there  is  no  such  things  as  an  uneducated  man.     Take  an 

o 

extreme  case.  Suppose  that  an  adult  man,  in  the  full 
vigor  of  his  faculties,  could  be  suddenly  placed  in  the 
world,  as  Adam  is  said  to  have  been,  and  then  left  to 
do  as  he  best  might.  How  long  would  he  be  left  un- 
educated ?  Not  five  minutes.  Nature  would  begin  to 
teach  him,  througli  tlie  eye,  the  ear,  the  touch,  the 
properties  of  objects.  Pain  and  pleasure  would  be  at 
his  elbow  telling  him  to  do  this  and  avoid  that;  and  by 
slow  degrees  the  man  would  receive  an  education,  which, 
if  narrow,  would  be  thorough,  real,  and  adequate  to  his 
circumstances,  though  there  would  be  no  extras  and 
very  few  accomplishments. 


304  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

6.  Tiiose  who  take  honors  in  Nature's  university,  who 
learn  the  laws  which  govern  men  and  things  and  obey 
them,  are  the  really  great  and  successful  men  in  this 
world.  Those  who  won't  learn  at  all  are  plucked;  and 
then  you  can't  come  up  again.  ISTature's  pluck  means 
extermination. 

7.  Thus  the  question  of  compulsory  education  is  set- 
tled so  far  as  Nature  is  concerned.  Her  bill  on  that 
question  was  framed  and  passed  long  ago.  But,  like 
all  compulsory  legislation,  that  of  Nature  is  harsh  and 
wasteful  in  its  operation.  Ignorance  is  visited  as  sharply 
as  willful  disobedience — incapacity  meets  with  the  same 
punishment  as  crime.  Nature's  discipline  is  not  even  a 
word  and  a  blow,  and  the  blow  first;  but  the  blow 
without  the  word.  It  is  left  to  you  to  find  out  why 
your  ears  are  boxed.  huxley. 


14.     MATHEMATICS  AND   PHYSICS. 

1.  For  all  the  higher  arts  of  construction,  some 
acquaintance  with  mathematics  is  indispensable.  The 
village  carpenter,  who,  lacking  rational  instruction,  lays 
out  his  work  by  empirical  rules  learnt  in  his  appren- 
ticeship, equally  with  the  builder  of  a  Britannia  Bridge, 
makes  hourly  reference  to  the  laws  of  quantitative  rela- 
tions. The  surveyor  on  whose  survey  the  land  is 
purchased,  the  architect  in  designing  a  mansion  to  be 
built  on  it,  the  builder  in  preparing  his  estimates,  his 
foreman  in  laying  out  the  foundations,  the  masons  in 
cutting  the  stones,  and  the  various  artisans  who  put  up 
the  fittings,  are  all  guided  by  geometrical  truths.  Eail- 
way-making  is  regulated  from  beginning  to  end  by 
mathematics :  alike  in  the  preparation  of  plans  and  sec- 
tions, in  staking  out  the  line,  in  the  mensuration  of 
cuttings  and  embankments,  in  the  designing,  estimating, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  305 

and  building  of  bridges,  culverts,  viaducts,  tunnels,  sta- 
tions. And  similarly  with  the  harbors,  docks,  piers,  and 
various  engineering  and  architectural  works  that  fringe 
the  coasts  and  overspread  the  face  of  the  country,  as 
well  as  the  mines  that  run  underneath  it. 

2.  Out  of  geometry,  too,  as  applied  to  astronomy,  the 
art  of  navigation  has  grown;  and  so,  by  this  science, 
has  been  made  possible  that  enormous  foreign  commerce 
which  supports  a  large  part  of  our  population,  and 
supplies  us  with  many  necessaries  and  most  of  our 
luxuries. 

3.  And  nowadays  even  the  farmer,  for  the  correct 
laying  out  of  his  drains,  has  recourse  to  the  level — that 
is,  to  geometrical  principles.  When  from  those  divisions 
of  mathematics  which  deal  with  space,  and  niimler,  some 
small  smattering  of  which  is  given  in  schools,  we  turn 
to  that  other  division  which  deals  with  force — of  which 
even  a  smattering  is  scarcely  ever  given — we  meet  with 
another  large  class  of  activities  which  this  science  pre- 
sides over. 

4.  On  the  application  of  rational  mechanics  depends 
the  success  of  nearly  all  modern  manufacture.  The 
properties  of  the  lever,  the  wheel  and  axle,  etc.,  are 
involved  in  every  machine :  every  machine  is  a  solidified 
mechanical  theorem ;  and  to  machinery  in  these  times 
we  owe  nearly  all  production. 

5.  Trace  the  history  of  the  breakfast-roll.  The  soil 
out  of  which  it  came  was  drained  with  machine-made 
tiles;  the  surface  was  turned  over  by  a  machine;  the 
seed  was  put  in  by  a  machine ;  the  wheat  was  reaped, 
thrashed,  and  winnowed  by  machines;  by  machinery  it 
was  ground  and  bolted ;  and  had  the  flour  been  sent  to 
Gosport,  it  might  have  been  made  into  biscuits  by  a 
machine. 

6.  Look  round  the  room  in  which  you  sit.  If  mod- 
ern, probably  the  bricks  in  its  w^alls  were  machine-made ; 

20 


306  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

by  machinery  the  flooring  was  sawn  and  planed,  the 
mantel-shelf  sawn  and  polished,  the  paper-hangings  made 
and  printed ;  the  veneer  on  the  table,  the  turned  legs  of 
the  ell  airs,  the  carpet,  the  curtains,  are  all  products  of 
machinery. 

7.  And  your  clothing — plain,  figured,  or  printed — is 
it  not  wholly  woven,  nay,  perhaps  even  sewed,  by  ma- 
chinery ?  And  the  volume  you  are  reading — are  not  its 
leaves  fabricated  by  one  machine  and  covered  with  these 
w^ords  by  another?  Add  to  which,  that,  for  tlie  means 
of  distribution  over  both  land  and  sea,  we  are  similarly 
indebted. 

8.  And  then  let  it  be  remembered  that  according  as 
the  principles  of  mechanics  are  well  or  ill  used  to  these 
ends,  comes  success  or  failure — individual  and  national. 
The  engineer  who  misapplies  his  formulae  for  the  strength 
of  materials,  builds  a  bridge  that  breaks  down.  The 
manufacturer  whose  apparatus  is  badly  devised,  can  not 
compete  with  another  whose  apparatus  wastes  less  in 
friction  and  inertia. 

9.  The  ship-builder  adhering  to  the  old  model  is  out- 
sailed by  one  who  builds  on  the  mechanically  justified 
wave-line  principle.  And  as  the  ability  of  a  nation  to 
hold  its  own  against  other  nations  depends  on  the  skilled 
activity  of  its  units,  we  see  that  on  such  knowledge 
may  turn  the  national  fate.  Judge,  then,  the  worth  of 
mathematics. 

10.  Pass  next  to  physics.  Joined  with  mathematics, 
it  has  given  us  the  steam-engine,  which  does  the  work 
of  millions  of  laborers.  That  section  of  physics  which 
deals  with  the  laws  of  heat,  has  taught  us  how  to  econ- 
omize fuel  in  our  various  industries ;  how  to  increase 
the  xjroduce  of  our  smelting  furnaces  by  substituting 
the  hot  for  the  cold  blast ;  how  to  ventilate  our  mines ; 
how  to  prevent  explosions  by  using  the  safety-lamp ; 
and,  through  the  thermometer,  how  to  regulate  innumer- 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  307 

able  processes.  That  division  which  has  the  phenomena 
of  light  for  its  subject,  gives  eyes  to  the  old  and  the 
myopic ;  aids  through  the  microscope  in  detecting  dis- 
eases and  adulterations;  and  by  improved  lighthouses 
prevents  shipwrecks. 

11.  Eesearches  in  electricity  and  magnetism  have  saved 
incalculable  life  and  property  by  the  compass ;  have 
subserved  sundry  arts  by  the  electrotype ;  and  now,  in 
the  telegraph,  have  supplied  us  with  the  agency  by 
which,  for  the  future,  all  mercantile  transactions  w^ill  be 
regulated,  political  intercourse  carried  on,  and  perhaps 
national  quarrels  often  avoided.  While  in  the  details 
of  indoor  life,  from  the  improved  kitchen  range  up  to 
the  stereoscope  on  the  drawing-room  table,  the  applica- 
tions  of  advanced    physics    underlie    our    comforts    and 

<:;ratificationS.  Herbert  Spencer. 


SECTION  II. 
PEOSE  DECLAMATIONS, 

1.     CHAEACTER   OF  TRUE  ELOQUENCE. 

[This  speech  is  characterized  hy  full  declamatory  force,  long  pauses, 
strong  ernp)hasis,  prevailing  dovmward  inflection,  orotund  quality,  and 
radical  stress.  Ecqicire  pupils  to  give  reasons  for  the  marking  of  rhe- 
torical pauses  and  inflections.'] 

1.  When  public  hoclics  \  are  to  be  addressed  |  on  mo- 
mentous occasions,  when  great  interests  \  are  at  stake, 
and  strong  passions  \  excited,  nhthing  \  is  valuable  |  in 
speech,  further  than  it  is  connected  |  with  high  intel- 
lectual I  and  mbral  endowments.  Clearness,  force,  and 
earnestness  \  are  the  qualities  \  which  produce  conviction. 
True  eloquence,  indeed,  does  not  consist  in  speech.  It 
cdn7iot  be  brought  from  far.     Labor  and  learning  may 


308  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

toil  for  it,  but  they  will  toil  in  vain.  Words  and  phrases  \ 
may  be  marshaled  in  every  way,  but  they  can  not  com- 
pass  it.  It  must  exist  in  the  man,  in  the  subject,  and 
in  the  occasion. 

2.  Affected  passion,  intense  expression,  the  pomp  of 
declctmdtion,  all  \  may  aspire  after  it;  they  cannot  reach 
it.  It  comes,  if  it  come  at  all,  likfe  the  outbreaking  of 
a  fountain  from  the  earth,  or  the  lursting  forth  of  vol- 
canic f\res,  with  spontaneous,  original,  ndtive  force. 

3.  The  graces  \  taught  in  the  schools,  the  costly  orna- 
ments  \  and  studied  contrivances  of  speech,  shock  and 
disgust  men,  when  their  oion  lives,  and  the  fate  of  their 
luives,  their  children,  and  their  country,  hang  on  the 
decision  of  the  hmtr.  Then,  ivords  have  lost  their  p)bwcr, 
rhetoric  is  'yam,  and  all  elaborate  oratory  \  contemp)tible. 
Even  genius  itself  \  then  feels  rebuked  and  subdued,  as 
in  the  presence  of  higher  qualities.  Thin,  patriotism  \ 
is  eloquent;  thin,  self-devotion  \  is  eloquent. 

4.  The  c/ear  conception,  outrunning  the  deductions  of 
logic,  the  high  purpose,  the  /tVm  resolve,  the  dauntless 
spirit,  speaking  on  the  tongue,  beaming  from  the  (?y6?, 
informing  ^'y<3?'?/  feature,  and  urging  the  ^(;^c)/<3  md^z  1 
onward,  right  onward,  to  his  object — this,  this  \  is  eloquence  ; 
or,  rather,  it  is  something  greater  and  higher  than  aZ/ 
eloquence — it  is  action,  noble,  suUlme,  godlike  action. 

2.     IS^ATIONAL   GEEATNESS. 

1.  I  believe  there  is  no  permanent  greatness  to  a 
nation  except  it  be  based  upon  morality.  I  do  not  care 
for  military  greatness  or  military  renown.  I  care  for 
the  condition  of  the  peojole  among  whom  I  live.  There 
is  no  man  in  England  who  is  less  likely  to  speak  irrev- 
erently of  the  crown  and  monarchy  of  England  than  I 
am;  but  crowns,  coronets,  miters,  military  display,  the 
pomp  of  war,  wide  colonies,  and  a  huge  Empire  are,  in 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  309 

my  view,  all  trifles  light  as  (iii\  and  not  worth  consid- 
ering, unless  with  them  you  can  have  a  fair  share  of 
comfort,  contentment,  and  happiness  among  the  great 
body  of  the  people. 

2.  Palaces,  baronial  castles,  great  halls,  stately  man- 
sions, do  not  make  a  nation.  The  nation,  in  every 
country,  dwells  in  the  cottage;  and  unless  the  light  of 
your  constitution  can  shine  there,  unless  the  beauty  of 
your  legislation  and  excellence  of  your  statesmanship 
are  impressed  there  in  the  feelings  and  condition  of  the 
people,  rely  upon  it  you  have  yet  to  learn  the  duties  of 
government.  john  bright. 


3.     THE  PASSING   OF  THE   KUBICOK 

[^An  example  of  impassioned  argumentative  declamation.'] 

1.  A  gentleman,  Mr.  President,  speaking  of  Caesar's 
benevolent  disposition,  and  of  the  reluctance  with-  which 
he  entered  into  the  civil  war,  observes,  ''How  long  did 
he  pause  upon  the  brink  of  the  Bubicon  ? "  How  chme 
he  to  the  brink  of  that  river  ?  How  dhred  he  cross  it  ? 
Shall  private  men  respect  the  boundaries  of  private 
property,  and  shall  a  man  pay  no  respect  to  the  bound- 
aries of  his  country's  rights'^  How  dhred  he  cross  that 
river?  0,  but  he  paused  upon  the  brink!  He  should 
have  perished  upon  the  brink  ere  he  had  crossed  it! 

2.  Why  did  he  pause  ?  Why  does  a  man's  heart  phi- 
pitate  when  he  is  on  the  point  of  committing  an  itn- 
lawful  deed  t  Why  does  the  very  m'drderery  his  victim 
sleeping  before  him,  and  his  glaring  eye  taking  the 
measure  of  the  blow,  strike  wide  of  the  mortal  part  ? 
Because  of  conscience  I  'T  was  that  made  Caesar  pause 
upon  the  brink  of  the  Eubicon. 

3.  Compdssion !  What  compassion !  The  compassion 
of  an   assdssin,  that  feels   a   mbmentary  shudder  as  his 


310  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

weapon  begins  to  cut !  Caesar  paused  upon  the  brink 
of  the  Eubicon  ?  "What  whs  the  Eubicon  ?  The  boundary 
of  CiBsar's  province.  From  what  did  it  sefaraU  his 
province  ?  From  his  country.  Was  that  country  a 
desert  f  No:  it  was  cilltiv  cited  and  fertile;  rich  and 
jybpulous  !  Its  sons  were  men  of  genius,  spirit,  and  gen- 
erosity  !  Its  daughters  were  lovely,  susceptible,  and  chaste  ! 
Friendship  was  its  inhabitant !  Love  was  its  inhabitant ! 
Domestic  affection  was  its  inhabitant !  Liberty  was  its 
inhabitant !  All  bounded  by  the  stream  of  the  RiXbicon  I 
4.  What  was  Ccesar,  that  stood  upon  the  brink  of 
that  river?  A  traitor,  briuging  war  and  pestilence  into 
the  heart  of  that  country  !  l^o  ivonclcr  that  he  paused — 
no  wdnder  if,  his  imagination  wrought  upon  by  his  con- 
science, he  had  beheld  blood  instead  of  ivater ;  and  heard 
r7?^da7is  instead  of  mibrmurs  !  No  wonder  if  some  gorgon 
horror  had  turned  him  into  stone  upon  the  spot  !  But, 
no  ! — he  cried,  "  The  die  is  cast  !  "  He  plilnged  ! — he 
crbssed  ! — and  Rome  was  free  no  more!  knowles. 


4.     OUE  DUTIES   TO   OUE   COUNTEY. 

[An   example   of    oratorical   declamation.     Movement,    sloiv  ;    quality, 
orotund ;    'prevailing  injicctions,  falling.^ 

1.  This  lovely  land,  this  glorious  liberty,  these  benign 
institutions,  the  dear  purchase  of  our  fathers,  are  ours; 
ours  to  enjdy,  ours  to  preserve,  ours  to  transmit.  Gen- 
erations past,  and  generations  to  come,  hold  us  respon- 
sible for  this  sacred  trust.  Our  fathers,  from  behind, 
admonish  us,  with  their  anxious  paternal  voices  ;  posterity 
calls  out  to  us,  from  the  bosom  of  the  fidure ;  the  world 
turns  hither  its  solicitous  c]jes — all,  all  conjure  us  to  act 
wisely,  and  faithfully,  in  the  relations  which  we  sustain, 

2.  We  can  never,  indeed,  pay  the  debt  which  is  upon 
us ;  but  by  virtue,  by  morality,  by  religion,  by  the  culti- 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  311 

vation  of  every  good  principle  and  every  good  hdlit, 
^ve  may  hope  to  enjoy  the  blessing  through  our  day, 
and  to  leave  it  unimpaired  to  our  children.  Let  us  feel 
deeply  how  much  of  what  we  are,  and  what  we  possess, 
we  owe  to  this  liberty,  and  these  institutions  of  govern- 
ment. 

3,  Nature  has,  indeed,  given  us  a  soil  which  yields 
bounteously  to  the  hands  of  industry;  the  mighty  and 
fruitful  ocean  is  hefdre  us,  and  the  skies  over  our  heads 
shed  health  and  vigor.  But  what  are  lands,  and  si,as, 
and  skies,  to  civilized  man,  without  society,  without 
knowledge,  without  mbrcds,  without  religious  culture  ? 
and  how  can  these  be  enjoyed,  in  all  their  extent,  and 
all  their  Excellence,  but  under  the  protection  of  wise 
institutions  and  a  free  government  ? 

4.  Fellow-citizens,  there  is  not  one  of  us  here  present 
who  does  not,  at  this  moment,  and  at  every  moment, 
experience  in  his  own  condition,  and  in  the  condition 
of  those  most  near  and  ddar  to  him,  the  influence  and 
the  benefits  of  this  liberty,  and  these  institutions.  Let 
us  then  acknowledge  the  blessing ;  let  us  feel  it  deeply 
and  powerfully ;  let  us  cherish  a  strong  affection  for  it, 
and  resolve  to  maintain  and  perpetncde  it.  The  blood 
of  our  fathers,  let  it  not  have  been  shed  in  vain ;  the 
greed  hope  of  posterity,  let  it  not  be  blasted.  Webster. 


5.    THE  AMEEICAN"  WAR 

1.  These  abominable  j^Tinciples,  and  this  mbi^e  abom- 
inable avowal  of  them,  demand  the  most  decisive  indig- 
nation !  I  call  upon  that  Eight  Eeverend  Bench,  those 
holy  ministers  of  the  Gbspel,  and  pious  pastors  of  our 
Chilrch ;  I  conjure  them  to  join  in  the  holy  work,  and 
to  vindicate  the  religion  of  their  God !  I  appeal  |  to 
the  icisdom  \  and  the  Idvj  \  of  this  learned  Bench,  to  de- 


312  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

fend  and  support  the  justice  of  their  country !  I  call 
upon  the  Bishops  \  to  interpose  the  unsullied  sanctity  \ 
of  their  laiun,  upon  the  judges  |  to  interpose  the  jpilrity  j 
of  their  hnnine,  to  save  us  from  this  ^^ollution  I 

2.  I  call  upon  the  hdnor  of  your  Lordships,  to  rever- 
ence the  dignity  of  your  ancestors,  and  to  maintain 
your  biun  !  I  call  upon  the  spirit  and  huwdnity  of  my 
country,  to  vindicate  the  national  character  I  I  invoke 
the  genius  of  the  Constitution  !  From  the  tapestry  |  that 
adorns  these  lodlls,  the  immortal  ancestor  of  the  noble 
Lord  I  frowns  with  indignation  at  the.  disgrace  of  his 
country  ! 

3.  Turn  forth  into  our  settlements,  among  our  ancient 
connections,  friends,  and  relations,  the  merciless  cannibal, 
thirsting  for  the  blood  of  man,  ivoman,  and  cluild  ?  Send 
forth  the  infidel  savage  t  Against  vjhbm  ?  Against  your 
Irethren  !  To  lay  waste  their  country,  to  desolate  their 
dwellings,  and  extirpate  their  rdce  and  name,  \V\\j\i  these 
horrible  hounds  of  savage  war ! 

4  Spain  |  armed  herself  w^ith  Mood-hounds  to  extirpate 
the  wretched  natives  of  America ;  and  ide  \  improve  on 
the  inhuman  example  \  of  even  Spanish  cruelty  ; — we 
turn  loose  these  savages,  these  fiendish  hounds,  against 
our  hrethren  and  countrymen  in  America,  of  the  same 
Ihnguage,  Ihivs,  liberties,  and  religion — endeared  to  us  by 
every  tie  that  should  sanctify  humhnity  I  pitt. 


6.     FEEEDOM. 

I  will  speak  the  w^ords  of  Freedom ;  I  will  listen  to 
her  music  ;  I  will  acknowledge  her  Impulses  ;  I  will  stand 
beneath  her  flug  ;  I  will  fight  in  her  rhnlzs ;  and,  wdien 
I  do  so,  I  shall  find  myself  surrounded  by  the  great, 
the  vnse,  the  good,  the  brave,  the  ndble  of  every  Iknd. 
If  I  could  stand  for  a  moment  upon  one  of  your   high 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  313 

moibitain'toips,  far  above  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  civil- 
ized ivorld,  and  there  might  see,  coming  up,  one  after 
another,  the  bravest  and  wisest  of  the  ancient  vjdrriors, 
and  statesmen,  and  kings,  and  monarclis,  and  priests ;  and 
if,  as  they  came  lip,  I  might  be  permitted  to  ask  from 
them  an  expression  of  opinion  upon  such  a  case  as  this, 
with  a  coimnon  voice  and  in  thunder  tones,  reverberating 
through  a  thousand  valleys,  and  echoi7ig  down  the  ages, 
they  would  cry  :  ''Liberty,  Freedom,  the  Universal  Brother- 
hood of  Man!''  /join  that  shbut ;  I  ^WQllthdX  anthem ; 
I  echo  that  praise  forever,  and  for  evermore. 

Col.  E.  D.  Baker. 


7.    THE  VOICES  OF  THE  DEAD. 

1.  The  wdrld  \  is  filled  |  with  the  voices  of  the  d^ad. 
They  speak  |  not  from  the  public  records  of  the  great 
ivdrld  only,  but  from  the  private  history  |  of  our  own 
experience.  They  speak  to  us  |  in  a  thousand  remem- 
hrances,  in  a  thousand  incidents,  events,  and  associations. 
They  speak  to  us,  not  only  from  their  silent  grdves,  but 
from  the  throng  of  life.  Though  they  are  invisible,  yet 
life  I  is  filled  \  with  their  presence.  They  are  vjith  us 
by  the  silent  fireside  \  and  in  the  secluded  chdniber. 
They  are  luith  us  |  in  the  paths  of  society,  and  in  the 
crowded  assemblies  of  men. 

2.  They  speak  to  us  |  from  the  lonely  ivdy-side;  and 
tliey  speak  to  us  |  from  the  venerable  ichlls  \  that  echo 
to  the  steps  of  a  multitude  [  and  to  the  voice  oi  prayer. 
Go  where  we  will,  the  dead  \  are  with  us.  We  live,  we 
converse  with  thdse  \  who  once  lived  |  and  conversed  | 
with  Us.  Their  well-remembered  tone  |  mingles  with  the 
whispering  breeze,  with  the  sound  of  the  falling  Idaf, 
with  the  jubilee  shout  ]  of  the  sprhig-iimQ. — The  earth 
I  is  filled  I  with  their  shadowy  train. 


314  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

3.  But  there  are  more  suhstantial  expressions  |  of  the 
presence  of  the  dead  \  with  the  living.  The  earth  |  is 
filled  with  the  labors,  the  works,  of  the  dead.  Almost 
all  the  literature  in  the  world,  the  discoveries  of  science, 
the  glories  of  art,  the  ever-enduring  tem'ples,  tlie  dwelling- 
places  of  generations,  the  comforts  and  improvements  of 
life,  the  languages,  the  maxims,  the  opinions  of  the  living, 
the  very  frame-work  of  society,  the  institutions  of  nations, 
the  fabrics  of  empires — all  \  are  the  works  of  the  dead. 
By  these,  they  |  who  are  dead  |  yet  speak.        qrville  dewey. 


8.  GEATTAN'S  EEPLY  TO  ME.  COEEY. 

\_An  example  of  wipassioned  sarcasm  and  invective.] 

1.  Has  the  gentleman  done  ?  Has  he  compUtely  done  ? 
He  was  nn'parliamentary  from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  his  speech.  There  was  scarce  a  word  lie  uttered  that 
was  not  a  violation  of  the  privileges  of  the  House.  But 
I  did  not  call  him  to  order, — why  ?  because  the  limited 
talents  of  some  men  render  it  impossible  for  them  to 
be  severe  unthout  being  unparliamentary.  But  before  I 
sit  down,  I  shall  show  him  how  to  be  severe  and  par- 
liamentary at  the  same  time. 

2.  The  right  honorable  gentlemen  has  called  me  "an 
unimiieached  traitor!'  I  ask  why  not  "  traitor^'  unquali- 
fied by  any  epithet  ?  I  will  tell  him :  it  was  because  he 
dilrst  not.  It  was  the  act  of  a  coward,  who  raises  his 
arm  to  strike,  but  has  not  courage  to  give  the  hloiv.  I 
will  not  call  him  villain,  because  it  would  be  unparlia- 
mentary, and  he  is  a  privy  counselor.  I  will  not  call 
him  fool,  because  he  happens  to  be  chancellor  of  the 
exchequer.  But  I  say,  he  is  one  who  has  abused  the 
privilege  of  Parliament  and  the  freedom  of  debate,  by 
uttering  language  which,  if  spoken  out  of  the  House,  I 
should  answer  only  with  a  blow.     I  care  not  how  high 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  315 

his  situdtion,  how  I6w  his  chdrader,  how  contemptible 
his  speech;  whether  a  privy  counselor  or  a  fhrasite,  my 
answer  would  be  a  Mow, 

3.  I  have  returned, — not  as  the  right  honorable  mem- 
ber has  said,  to  raise  another  storm, — I  haA^e  returned 
to  discharge  an  honorable  debt  of  grdtitucle  to  my 
country,  that  conferred  a  great  reward  for  past  services, 
which,  I  am  proud  to  say,  was  not  greater  than  my 
desert  I  have  returned  to  protect  that  ConstitiXiion  of 
which  I  was  the  parent  and  founder,  from  the  cissassi- 
ndtion  of  such  men  as  the  right  honorable  gentleman 
and  his  unworthy  associates.  They  are  corrllp)t,  they  are 
scditioif.s,  and  they,  at  this  very  moment,  are  in  a  con- 
spiracy  against  their  country.  I  have  returned  to  refute 
a  libel,  as  false  as  it  is  malicious,  given  to  the  public 
under  the  appellation  of  a  report  of  the  committee  of 
the  Lords.  Here  I  stand,  ready  for  imj^eaehmerit  or  trial- 
I  dare  accusation.  I  d(fy  the  honorable  gentleman ;  I 
defy  the  gdvernment ;  I  defy  their  vjliole  phalanx;  let 
them  come  forth.  I  tell  tlie  ministers,  I  will  neither 
give  quarter  nor  tdhe  it.  I  am  here  to  lay  the  shat- 
tered remains  of  my  constitution  on  the  floor  of  this 
House,  in  defense  of  the  liberties  of  my  country. 


9.      SUPPOSED    SPEECH    OF    JOHN    ADAMS    IN 
SUPPOET   OF   AMEPJCAN   INDEPENDENCE. 

1.  Sink  or  swim,  live  or  die,  survive  or  perish,  I  give 
my  hand  and  my  Mart  to  this  vote.  It  is  true,  indeed, 
that  in  the  beginning  we  aimed  not  at  Independence. 
But  there  's  a  Divinity  which  shapes  our  ends.  The 
injustice  of  England  has  driven  us  to  arms ;  and,  blinded 
to  her  own  interest  for  our  good,  she  has  obstinately 
persisted,  till  Independence  is  now  within  our  gr^sp. 
We  have  but  to  reach  forth  to  it,  and  it  is  ours. 


316  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

2.  Why,  then,  should  we  defer  the  Declard^tion  ?  Is 
any  man  so  weak  as  now  to  hope  for  a  reconciliation 
with  ifingland  ?  Do  we  mean  to  submit  to  the  measures 
of  Parliament,  Boston  port-bill  and  all  ?  I  know  we  do 
nbt  mean  to  submit.     We  never  shall  submit. 

3.  Sir,  the  Declaration  will  inspire  the  people  with 
increased  courage.  Instead  of  a  long  and  bloody  war 
for  restoration  of  privileges,  for  redress  of  grievances, 
for  chartered  immunities,  held  under  a  British  king,  set 
before  them  the  glorious  object  of  entire  Independence^ 
and  it  will  breathe  into  them  anew  the  breath  of  life. 

4.  Eead  this  Declaration  at  the  head  of  the  army: 
every  sword  will  be  drawn  from  its  scabbard,  and  the 
solemn  vow  uttered,  to  maintain  it,  or  to  perish  on  the 
field  of  honor.  Publish  it  from  the  pulpit ;  religion  will 
approve  it,  and  the  love  of  religious  liberty  will  cling 
round  it,  resolved  to  stand  with  it,  or  fhll  with  it. 

5.  Send  it  to  the  pidjlic  lihlls ;  proclaim  it  there.  Let 
them  hear  it  who  heard  the*  first  roar  of  the  enemy's 
cknnon ;  let  them  see  it  who  saw  their  brothers  and  their 
sons  fall  on  the  field  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  in  the  streets 
of  Lexington  and  Concord,  and  the  very  tvdlls  will  cry 
out  in  its  support. 

6.  Sir,  before  God,  I  believe  the  hour  is  cbme.  My 
jiidgment  approves  this  measure,  and  my  ivhole  heart  is 
m  it.  All  that  I  have,  and  all  that  I  dm,  and  all  that 
I  hbpe,  in  this  life,  I  am  now  ready  here  to  stake  upon 
it ;  and  I  leave  off  as  I  began,  that  live  or  die,  survive 
or  ^^em/z/,  /  am  for  the  Declaration.  It  is  my  living 
sentiment,  and,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  it  shall  be  my 
dying  sentiment :    Independence  now ;    and  Independence 

forever,  Daniel  Webster. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  317 

10.     THE   CONSTITUTION  AND   THE   UNION. 

[Ill  this  S2)eccli  the  movement  is  slow;  the  utterance  deliberate,  tlie 
pauses  long ;  and  the  injiectioyis  strongly  marked.'] 

1.  For  myself,  I  propose,  Sir,  to  abide  by  the  lorin- 
ciplcs  I  and  the  'purposes  \  which  I  have  avowed.  I  shall 
stttnd  hy  the  Union,  and  by  all  |  wlio  stand  hy  it.  I 
shall  do  justice  to  the  wliole  country,  according  to  the 
best  of  my  ability,  in  all  I  scty,  and  act  for  the  good  of 
the  whole  country  \  in  all  I  do.  I  mean  to  stand  upon 
the  Constitution.  I  needno  other  platform.  I  shall  know 
but  one  country, 

2.  The  ends  I  aim  at  |  shall  be  my  country  s,  my 
God's,  and  Truth's.  I  was  horn  \  an  American ;  I  will 
live  an  American ;  I  shall  die  an  American ;  and  1  intend 
to  perforin  the  duties  incumbent  upon  me  |  in  that 
character  |  to  the  end  of  my  career,  I  mean  to  d6  this, 
with  the  absolute  disregard  of  personal  consequences. 

3.  What  are  \  personal  consequences  ?  What  is  the 
individual  man,  with  all  the  good  or  evil  that  may  he- 
tide  him,  in  comparison  with  the  good  or  evil  |  which 
may  befall  a  great  country  \  in  a  crisis  like  this,  and  in 
the  midst  of  great  transactions  \  wdiich  concern  that 
coixntrys  fhte  ?  Let  the  consequences  \  be  what  they  lutll. 
I  am  careless.  ISTo  man  can  suffer  too  much,  and  no 
man  can  fall  too  soon,  if  he  suffer  |  or  if  he  fall  |  in 
defense  of  the  liberties  \  and  Constitution  \  of  his  coitntry, 

"Webster. 

11.     THE   CONSTITUTIOK 

1.  Never  did  there  devolve  on  any  generation  of  men 
higher  trusts  than  now  devolve  upon  us,  for  the  pres- 
ervation of  this  Constitution,  and  the  harmony  and 
peace  of  all  who  are  destined  .to  live  under  it.  Let  us 
make  our  generation  one  of  the  strongest  and  brightest 
links  in  that  golden  chain  which  is  destined,  I  fondly 


318  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

believe,  to  grapple  the  people  of  all  the  States  to  this 
Constitution  for  ages  to  come. 

2.  We  have  a  great,  popular,  constitutional  govern- 
ment, guarded  by  law  and  by  judicature,  and  defended 
by  the  affections  of  the  people.  No  monarchical  throne 
]3resses  these  States  together.  They  live  and  stand  upon 
a  government  popular  in  its  form,  representative  in  its 
character,  founded  upon  principles  of  equality,  and  so 
constructed,  we  hope,  as  to  last  forever. 

3.  In  all  its  history  it  has  been  beneficent.  It  has 
trodden  down  no  man's  liberty,  it  has  crushed  no  State. 
Its  daily  respiration  is  liberty  and  patriotism.  Its 
youthful  veins  are  full  of  enterprise,  courage,  and  hon- 
orable love  of  glory  and  renown.  Large  before,  the 
country  has  now,  by  recent  events,  become  vastly  larger. 
This  republic  now  extends,  with  a  vast  breadth,  across 
the  whole  continent.  The  two  great  seas  of  the  world 
wash  the  one  and  the  other  shore.  We  realize  on  a 
mighty  scale  the  beautiful  description  of  the  ornamental 
edoiino-  of  the  bucklers  of  Achilles : 

"Now  the  broad  shield  complete,  the  artist  crowned 
With  his  last  hand,  and  poured  the  ocean  round. 
In  living  silver  seemed  the  waves  to  roll. 
And  beat  the  buckler's  verge  and  bound  the  whole." 

Daniel  Webster. 


12.    DUTIES   OF  AMEEICAN   CITIZENS. 

1.  We  have  indulged  in  gratifying  recollections  of 
the  past,  in  the  prosperity  and  pleasures  of  the  present, 
and  in  high  hopes  for  the  future.  But  let  us  remember 
that  we  have  duties  and  obligations  to  perform,  corre- 
sponding to  the  blessings  which  we  enjoy. 

2.  Let  us  remember  the  trust,  the  sacred  trust,  attach- 
ing to  the  rich  inheritance  which  we  have  received  from 
our  fathers.     Let  us  feel  our  personal  responsibility,  to 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  319 

the  full  extent  of  our  power  and  influence,  for  the 
preservation  of  the  principles  of  civil  and  religious  lib- 
erty. And  let  us  remember  that  it  is  only  religion,  and 
morals,  and  knowledge,  that  can  make  men  respectable 
and  happy,  under  any  form  of  government. 

3.  Let  us  hold  fast  the  great  truth,  that  communities 
are  responsible,  as  well  as  individuals;  that  no  govern- 
ment is  respectable,  which  is  not  just;  that  without  un- 
spotted purity  of  public  faith,  without  sacred  public  prin- 
ciple, fidelity,  and  honor,  no  mere  forms  of  government, 
no  machinery  of  laws,  can  give  dignity  to  political  society. 
In  our  day  and  generation  let  us  seek  to  raise  and  im- 
prove the  moral  sentiment,  so  that  we  may  look,  not 
for  a  degraded,  but  for  an  elevated  and  improved  future. 

4.  And  when  both  we  and  our  children  shall  have 
been  consigned  to  the  house  appointed  for  all  living, 
may  love  of  country  and  pride  of  country  glow  with 
equal  fervor  among  those  to  whom  our  names  and  our 
blood  shall  have  descended. 

5.  And  then,  when  honored  and  decrepit  age  shall 
lean  against  the  base  of  this  monument,  and  troops  of 
ingenuous  youth  shall  be  gathered  round  it,  and  when 
the  one  shall  speak  to  the  other  of  its  objects,  the  pur- 
poses of  its  construction,  and  the  great  and  glorious 
events  with  which  it  is  connected,  there  shall  rise  from 
every  youthful  breast  the  ejaculation,  "  Thank  God,  I — 

/  also am    an    American  !  "  Daniel  Webster. 

13.     LABOR. 

1.  Ldhor  is  heaven's  great  ordinance  for  human  im- 
provement.  Let  not  the  great  ordinance  be  broken  doivn. 
What  do  I  say  ?  It  Is  broken  down ;  and  hcis  been 
broken  down  for  ages.  Let  it,  then,  be  hililt  again; 
here,  if  dnyivhcre,  on  the  shores  of  a  neiv  world — of  a 
new  civilization. 


320  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

2.  But  how,  it  may  be  asked,  is  it  hroken  dbivii  ?  Do 
not  men  toil  ?  it  may  be  said.  They  do,  indeed,  toil ; 
but  they  too  generally  do,  because  they  must.  Many 
submit  to  it,  as  to,  in  some  sort,  a  degrading  neeessity ; 
and  they  desire  nothing  so  much  on  ^arth  as  an  escape 
from  it.  This  way  of  thinking  is  the  heritage  of  the 
absurd  and  unjust  feudal  system,  under  which  serfs 
labored,  and  gentlemen  spent  their  lives  in  fighting  and 
feasting.  It  is  time  that  this  opprobrium  of  toil  were 
done  aiuay. 

3.  Ashamed  to  toil !  Ashamed  of  thy  dingy  workshop 
and  dusty  /a&t>r-field ;  of  thy  hard  hand,  scarred  with 
service  more  honorable  than  that  of  ivdr ;  of  thy  soiled 
and  weather-stained  garments,  on  which  mother  i^ature 
has  embroidered  mist,  sun  and  rain,  fire  and  steam — 
her  own  heraldic  Iwnors  ! 

4.  Ashamed  of  those  tokens  and  titles,  and  envious  of 
the  flaunting  robes  of  imbecile  Idleness  and  vanity !  It 
is  treason  to  Nature;  it  is  impiety  to  Hmven:  it  is 
breaking  Heaven's  great  ordinance.  Toil — toil — either  of 
the  hrdin,  of  the  heart,  or  of  the  hand — is  the  only  t^^ue 
manhood,  the  only  triie  nohllity  !  orville  dewey. 


14.     THE  FUTUEE   OF  AMEEICA. 

1.  It  cannot  be  denied,  but  by  those  who  would  dis- 
pute against  the  stin,  that  ifAth  America,  and  in  America, 
a  neiv  era  commences  in  human  affairs.  This  era  is 
distinguished  by  free  representative  governments,  by  en- 
tire religions  liberty,  by  improved  systems  of  national 
intercourse,  by  a  newly  awakened  and  an  unconquerable 
spirit  of  free  inquiry,  and  by  a  diffusion  of  knowledge 
through  the  comm^dnity,  such  as  has  been  before  alto- 
gether unknown  and  unhhtrd  of. 

2.  America,  America,  our  coiintry,  our  own   dear   and 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  321 

native  land,  is  inseparably  connected,  fast  bound  up,  in 
fortune  and  by  fate,  with  these  great  hiterests.  If  they 
fall,  we  fall  lolth  them ;  if  they  stand,  it  will  be  because 
we  have  upheld  them. 

3.  Let  us  contemplate,  then,  tliis  connection  which 
binds  the  prosperity  of  others  to  our  oivn ;  and  let  us-^ 
manfully  discharge  all  the  duties  which  it  imposes.  If 
we  cherish  the  virtues  and  the  principles  of  our  fathers. 
Heaven  will  assist  us  to  carry  on  the  work  of  human 
liberty  and  human  hh'ppiness.  " 

4.  Auspicious  omens  cheer  us.  Great  exdmples  are 
hefbre  us.  Our  hum  firmament  now  shines  brightly  upon 
our  p)Cith.  Washington  is  in  the  clear  upper  sky.  Those 
other  stars  have  now  joined  the  American  constellhtion ; 
they  circle  round  their  center,  and  the  heavens  beam 
with  new  light.  Beneath  this  illumination,  let  us  walk 
the  course  of  life,  and  at  its  close  devoutly  commend 
our   beloved   country,  the   common  parent  of  us  all,  to 

the    Divine    Benignity.  Daniel  Webster. 


15.     PATEIOTISM. 

1.  Bereft  of  patriotism,  the  heart  of  a  nation  will  be 
cold  and  cramped  and  sordid ;  the  arts  w411  have  no 
enduring  impulse,  and  commerce  no  invigorating  soul ; 
society  will  degenerate,  and  the  mean  and  vicious  will 
triumph.  Patriotism  is  not  a  wild  and  glittering  passion, 
but  a  glorious  reality.  The  virtue  that  gave  to  Paganism 
its  dazzling  luster,  to  Barbarism  its  redeeming  trait^  to 
Christianity  its  heroic  form,  is  not  dead.  It  still  lives 
to  console,  to  sanctify  humanity.  It  has  its  altar  in 
every  clime;   its  worship  and  festivities. 

2.  On  the  heathered  hills  of  Scotland,  the  sword  of 
Wallace  is  yet  a  bright  tradition.  The  genius  of  France, 
in   the    brilliant    literature   of    the    day,   pays   its   high 


322  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

homage  to  the  piety  and  heroism  of  the  young  Maid 
of  Orleans.  In  her  new  Senate-hall,  England  bids  her 
sculptor  place,  among  the  effigies  of  her  greatest  sons, 
the  images  of  Hampden  and  of  Eussell.  In  the  gay 
and  graceful  capital  of  Belgium,  the  daring  hand  of 
Geefs  has  reared  a  monument  full  of  glorious  meaning 
to  the  three  hundred  martyrs  of  the  revolution. 

3.  By  the  soft  blue  waters  of  Lake  Lucerne  stands 
the  chapel  of  William  Tell.  On  the  anniversary  of  his 
revolt  and  victory,  across  those  waters,  as  tliey  glitter 
in  the  July  sun,  skim  the  light  boats  of  the  allied  can- 
tons, from  the  prows  hang  the  banners  of  the  republic, 
and  as  they  near  the  sacred  spot,  the  daughters  of  Lu- 
cerne chant  the  hymns  of  their  old  poetic  land.  Then 
bursts  forth  the  glad  Te  Deum,  and  Heaven  again  hears 
the  voice  of  that  wild  chivalry  of  the  mountains,  which 
five  centuries  since  pierced  the  white  eagle  of  Vienna, 
and  flung  it  bleeding  on  the  rocks  of  Uri. 

T.  F.  Meagher. 

16.    THE  FOUETH  OF  JULY. 

1.  On  the  Fourth  of  July,  1776,  the  representatives 
of  the  United  States  of  America,  in  Congress  assembled, 
declared  that  these  United  Colonies  are,  and  of  right 
ought  to  be,  free  and  independent  States.  This  decla- 
ration, made  by  most  patriotic  and  resolute  men,  trust- 
ing in  the  justice  of  their  cause,  and  the  protection  of 
Providence — and  yet  not  without  deep  solicitude  and 
anxiety — has  stood  for  severity-five  years,  and  still  stands. 

2.  It  was  sealed  in  blood.  It  has  met  dangers  and 
overcome  them ;  it  has  had  enemies,  and  it  has  con- 
quered them ;  it  has  had  detractors,  and  it  has  abashed 
them  all ;  it  has  had  doubtiug  friends,  but  it  has  cleared 
all  doubts  away ;  and  now,  to-day,  raising  its  august 
form  higher  than  the  clouds,  twenty  millions  of  people 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  323 

contemplate  it  with  hallowed  love;  and  the  world  beholds 
it,  and  the  consequences  which  have  followed,  with  pro- 
found admiration. 

3.  This  anniversary  animates,  and  gladdens,  and  unites 
all  American  hearts.  On  other  days  of  the  year  we  may 
be  party  men,  indulging  in  controversies  more  or  less 
important  to  the  public  good ;  we  may  have  likes  and 
dislikes,  and  we  may  maintain  our  political  differences 
often  with  warm,  and  sometimes  with  angry  feelings. 
But  to-day  we  are  Americans  all  in  all,  nothing  but 
Americans. 

4.  As  the  great  luminary  over  our  heads,  dissipating 
mists  and  fogs,  cheers  the  whole  hemisphere,  so  do  the 
associations  connected  with  this  day  disperse  all  cloudy 
and  sullen  weather,  and  all  noxious  exhalations  in  the 
minds  and  feelings  of  true  Americans.  Every  man's 
heart  swells  within  him; — every  man's  port  and  bearing 
become  somewhat  more  proud  and  lofty,  as  he  remem- 
bers that  seventy-five  years  have  rolled  away,  and  that 
the  great  inheritance  of  liberty  is  still  his ;  his,  undi- 
minished and  unimpaired;  his,  in  all  its  original  glory; 
his  to  enjoy,  his  to  protect,  and  his  to  transmit  to  future 

generations.  Daniel  Webster. 


17.     TEUE   GEEATNESS. 

1.  The  poet  tells  us,  in  pathetic  cadence,  that 

"The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave." 

But  this  is  true  only  in  the  superficial  sense.  It  is 
true  that  the  famous  and  the  obscure,  the  devoted  and 
the  ignoble,  "alike  await  the  inevitable  hbur"  But  the 
path  of  tne  glory  does  not  e7id  in  the  grdtve.  It  passes 
through  it  to  larger  opportunities  of  service. 

2.  A  great  nature  is  a  shed,     "It  is  sown  a  natural 
body;  it  is  raised  a  spiritual  body."     It  germinates  thus 


324  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

in  tlm  world  as  well  as  in  the  other.  Was  Warren 
buried  w^ien  lie  fell  on  the  field  of  a  defeat,  pierced 
through  the  hrdin,  at  the  commencement  of  the  Eevo- 
lution,  by  a  hullet  that  put  the  land  in  mourning  ? 

3.  JSfb ;  the  monument  that  has  been  raised  where  his 
blood  reddened  the  sod — granite  though  it  be  in  a  hun- 
dred courses — is  a  feeble  witness  of  the  permanence  and 
influence  of  Ms  sjjirit  among  the  American  people.  He 
mounted  into  Uterature  from  the  moment  that  he  fell ; 
he  began  to  move  the  soul  of  a  great  community ;  and 
part  of  the  ^principle  and  enthusiasm  of  Massachusetts 
to-day  is  due  to  his  sacrifice,  to  the  presence  of  his  sjnrit 
as  a  poiver  in  the  life  of  the  Sthte. 

4.  Did  Montgomery  lose  his  influeiice  as  a  force  in 
the  EevoMtion,  because  he  died  without  victory  on  its 
threshold y  pierced  with  three  wdiinds,  before  Quebec  ? 
Philadelphia  was  in  tears  for  him;  his  eulogies  were 
littered  by  the  most  eloquent  tongues  of  America  and 
Britain,  and  a  thrill  of  his  power  beats  in  the  volumes 
of  our  history,  and  runs  yet  through  the  onset  of  every 
Irish  brigade  beneath  the  American  banner,  which  he 
planted  on  Montrehl. 

5.  Did  Laiorence  die  when  his  breath  expired  in  the 
defeat  on  the  sea,  after  his  exclamation,  "Don't  give 
up  the  ship!''  What  victorious  captain  in  that  naval 
war  shed  forth  such  phwer  ?  His  spirit  soared  and 
touched  every  flag  on  every  frigate,  to  make  its  red  more 
commdnding  and  its  stars  flame  brighter ;  it  went  abroad 
in  songs,  and  every  sailor  felt  him  and  feels  him  now  as 
an  inspiration. 

6.  Tlie  soul  is  not  a  shadow.  The  body  is.  Genius  is 
not  a  shddoiv ;  it  is  siXbstance.  Patriotism  is  not  a  shddoiv  ; 
it  is  light.  Great  purposes,  and  tlie  spirit  that  counts 
death  nothing  in  contrast  with  honor  and  the  welfare  of 
our  cduntry — thlse  are  the  witnesses  that  man  is  not  a 
passing  vapor,  but  an  immdrtal  spirit.         thomas  starr  king. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  325 

18.     THE   NOEMANS. 

1.  In  1066,  the  iSTormans  invaded  Eugland,  and  the 
•battle  of  Hastings  broke,  forever,  the  Saxon  and  Danish 
power.  But  years  passed,  and  several  monarchs  filled 
and  vacated  the  English  throne  before  these  Norman 
pioneers  had  accomplished  their  work,  and  molded  the 
nation  to  their  w41L 

2.  They  were  warriors — not  reformers.  They  were 
greedy  of  power,  but  impatient  of  its  exercise  upon 
themselves ;  greedy  of  wealth,  but  lavish  in  its  expend- 
iture. They  were  reckless  alike  of  their  own  and  the 
life  of  others.  Turbulent,  nnruly — equally  dangerous 
to  the  people  whom  they  subdued,  and  to  the  princes 
who  led  them  to  conquest.  Gallant  men,  full  of  deeds 
of  knightly  courtesy,  yet  reddening  their  hands  with 
the  blood  of  civil  broil,  and  ever  ready  to  maintain 
their  right  with  their  swords. 

3.  Men  of  clear  intellect  and  giant  will,  they  acknowl- 
edged an  uncertain  allegiance  to  their  king,  and  only 
bowed  their  necks  to  the  yoke  of  God,  when  at  the 
close  of  life  they  deemed  it  necessary  to  assume  the 
monastic  habit,  or  to  do  penance  of  their  goods  for  the 
salvation  of  their  souls. 

4.  From  these  stern  and  bloody  men,  ''  wlio  came  in 
with  the  Conqueror,"  or  followed  in  the  train  of  his 
successors,  the  noblest  families  of  England  are  proud 
to  derive  their  descent ;  and  even  we  republicans,  upon 
this  distant  coast,  and  at  this  late  period  of  time,  do 
not  refuse  our  admiration  to  these  Xorman  pioneers, 
who,  through  the  mists  of  the  past,  loom  np  like  giants 
before  us. 

5.  Yet  our  admiration  of  these  old  warriors,  the  ad- 
miration of  the  world  for  them,  is  not  because  they 
shed  blood,  or  amassed  or  squandered  wealth,  or  swore 
fealty  to  their  kings,  or  broke   their  oaths  in  rebellion, 


326  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

or  committed  or  abstained  from  the  crimes  that  were 
common  to  their  age.  The  JSTorman  pioneers  are  enrolled 
in  history  among  the  most  illustrious  of  men,  because 
in  the  dark  and  troublous  times  in  which  they  lived,  in 
the  midst  of  confusion  and  blood,  with  strong  hands 
and  undaunted  hearts,  they  laid  deep  the  first  founda- 
tions of  English  liberty,  and  became  the  fathers  of  that 
system  of  common  law  which,  at  the  end  of  eight  hun- 
dred years,  is  the  protection  and  the  glory  of  all  who 
speak  the  English  tongue.  f.  p.  tracy. 


19.    WASHINGTON'S   BIETHDAY. 

'1.  Inspiring  auspices,  this  day,  surround  us  and  cheer 
us.  It  is  the  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Washington. 
We  should  know  this,  even  if  we  had  lost  our  calendars, 
for  we  should  be  reminded  of  it  by  the  shouts  of  joy 
and  gladness.  The  whole  atmosphere  is  redolent  of  his 
name;  hills  and  forests,  rocks  and  rivers,  echo  and  re- 
echo his  praises. 

2.  All  the  crood,  whether  learned  or  unlearned,  hioh 
or  low,  rich  or  poor,  feel,  this  day,  that  there  is  one 
treasure  common  to  them  all,  and  that  is  the  fame  and 
character  of  Washington.  They  recount  his  deeds,  pon- 
der over  his  principles  and  teachings,  and  resolve  to  be 
more  and  more  guided  by  them  in  the  future. 

3.  To  the  old  and  the  young,  to  all  born  in  the  land, 
and  to  all  whose  love  of  liberty  has  brought  them  from 
foreign  shores-  to  make  this  tlie  home  of  their  adoption, 
the  name  of  Washington  is  this  day  an  exhilarating 
theme.  Americans  by  birth  are  proud  of  his  character, 
and  exiles  from  foreign  shores  are  eager  to  participate 
in  admiration  of  him ;  and  it  is  true  that  he  is  this 
day,  here,  everywhere,  all  the  world  over,  more  an  object 
of  love  and  regard  than  on  any  day  since  his  birth. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  327 

4.  On  Washington's  principles,  and  under  the  guid- 
ance of  his  example,  will  we  and  our  children  uphold 
the  Constitution.  Under  liis  military  leadership  our 
fathers  conquered ;  and  under  the  outspread  banner  of 
his  political  and  constitutional  principles  will  we  also 
conquer. 

5.  To  that  standard  we  shall  adhere,  and  uphold  it 
through  evil  report  and  through  good  report.  We  will 
meet  danger,  we  will  meet  death,  if  they  come,  in  its 
protection  ;  and  we  will  struggle  on,  in  daylight  and  in 
darkness,  ay,  in  the  thickest  darkness,  with  all  the 
storms  which  it  may  bring  with  it,  till 

"Danger's  troubled  night  is  o'er, 
And  the  star  of  Peace  return."  Webster, 


20.     NATION'S   AND   HUMANITY.  • 

1.  It  was  not  his  olive  valleys  and  orange  groves 
which  made  the  Greece  of  tlie  Greek,  It  was  not  for 
his  apple  orchards  or  potato  fields  that  the  farmer  of 
New  England  and  New  York  left  his  plow  in  the 
furrow  aud  marched  to  Bunker  Hill,  to  Bennington,  to 
Saratoga.  A  man's  country  is  not  a  certain  area  of 
land,  but  it  is  a  jprinciple  ;  and  ^patriotism  is  loyalty  to 
that  principle.  The  secret  sanctification  of  the  soil  and 
symbol  of  a  country  is  the  idea  which  they  represent; 
and  this  idea  the  patriot  worships  through  the  name 
and  the  symbol. 

2.  So  with  passionate  heroism ^  of  which  tradition  is 
never  weary  of  tenderly  tilling,  Arnold  von  Winkelreid 
gathers  into  his  bosom  the  sheaf  of  foreign  spears.  So, 
Nathan  Hale,  disdaining  no  service  that  duty  demands, 
perishes  untimely  with  no  other  friend  than  God  and 
the  satisfied  sense  of  duty.  So,  through  all  history  from 
the   beginning,   a    noble   army   of   martyrs    has    fought 


328  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

fiercely,  and  fallen  Irdvely,  for  that  unseen  mistress, 
their  country.  So,  through  all  history  to  the  dncl,  that 
army  must  still  march,  and  fight,  and  fall. 

3.  But  countries  and  families  are  but  nicrseries  and 
Influences.  A  man  is  a  father,  a  brother,  a  German,  a 
Eoman,  an  American;  but  beneath  all  i^A^s^j  relations, 
7^e  7*5  a  maTi.  The  end  of  his  human  destiny  is  not  to 
be  the  best  German,  or  the  best  Eoman,  or  the  best 
father ;   but  the  hest  man  he  can  be.        george  w.  cuktis. 


21.     CHAEACTER   OF  WASHINGTON. 

1.  Sir,  it  matters  very  little  what  immediate  sijot  may 
be  the  birthplace  of  such  a  man  as  Washington.  No 
people  can  claim,  no  coilntry  can  a;p]3rbpriate  him.  The 
boon  of  Providence  to  the  hitman  race,  his  fame  is  eternity, 
and  his  residence  creation.  Though  it  was  the  defeat 
of  our  arms,  and  the  disgrace  of  our  ■policy,  I  almost 
Mess  the  conviilsion  in  which  he  had  his  origin.  If  the 
heavens  thiindered,  and  the  earth  rocked,  yet,  when  the 
storm  passed,  how  p'la'^'e  was  the  climate  that  it  cleared ; 
how  bright,  in  the  brow  of  the  firmament,  was  the  ijldnet 
which  it  revealed  to  us  ! 

2.  In  the  production  of  Washington,  it  does  really 
appear  as  if  Nature  was  endeavoring  to  improve  upon 
herself,  and  that  all  the  virtues  of  the  ancient  world 
w^ere  but  so  many  studies  preparatory  to  the  patriot  of 
the  new.  Individual  instances  no  doubt  there  w^re — 
splendid  exemplifications  of  some  single  qualification. 
Csesar  was  merciful ;  Scipio  was  continent  ;  Hannibal  was 
p)atient ;  but  it  was  reserved  for  Washington  to  blend 
them  cdl  in  one,  and,  like  the  lovely  masterpiece  of  the 
Grecian  artist,  to  exhibit,  in  one  glow  of  associated 
beauty,  the  pride  of  every  model,  and  the  perfection  of 
every  muster. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  329 

3.  As  a  general,  he  marshalled  the  2^^^^^^"^^  into  a  vet- 
eraiiy  and  supplied  by  discipline  the  absence  of  experience  ; 
as  a  statesman,  lie  enlarged  the  policy  of  the  cabinet 
into  the  most  comprehensive  system  of  general  advan- 
tage ;  and  such  was  the  wisdom  of  his  vieivs,  and  the 
philosophy  of  his  cdunsels,  that  to  the  soldier  and  the 
statesman,  he  almost  added  the  character  of  the  sage  ! 
A  conqiieror,  he  was  untainted  with  the  crime  of  Mood ; 
2.  revolutionist,  he  was  free  from  any  stain  of  treason; 
for  aggression  commlnced  the  contest,  and  his  country 
called  him  to  the  command. 

4.  Liberty  unsheathed  his  sword, 'necessity  stained,  vic- 
tory returned  it.  If  he  had  paused  hire,  history  might 
have  doubted  what  station  to  assign  him  ;  whether  at 
the  liead  of  her  citizens  ov  hev  soldiers,  her  heroes  or  her 
imtriots.  But  the  last  glorious  act  crowns  his  carder, 
and  banishes  all  hesitation.  Who,  like  Washington,  after 
having  emancipated  a  hemisphere,  resigned  its  croion, 
and  preferred  tlie  retirement  of  domestic  life  to  the 
adoration   of  a  land  he  might  be  almost  said  to   have 

created  ?  Phillips. 


22.     BUNKEE-HILL  MONUMENT. 

1.  The  Bunker-Hill  monument  is  finished.  Here  it 
stands.  Fortunate  in  the  natural  eminence  on  which 
it  is  placed — ^liigher,  Infinitely  higher,  in  its  objects  and 
purpose,  it  rises  over  the  land,  and  over  the  sda ;  and 
visible,  at  their  homes,  to  three  hundred  thousand  citi- 
zens of  Massachusetts — it  stands,  a  memorial  of  the 
past,  and  a  monitor  to  the  present,  and  all  succeeding 
geiierations. 

2.  I  have  spoken  of  the  loftiness  of  its  purpose.  If 
it  had  been  without  any  other  design  than  the  creation 
of  a  work   of  art,  the  granite  of  which  it  is  composed 


330  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

would  have  slept  in  its  native  bed.  It  has  a  purpose ; 
and  that  purpose  gives  it  cliaracter.  That  purpose 
enrobes  it  with  dignity  and  moral  grandeur.  That  vjell- 
known  purpose  it  is,  which  causes  us  to  look  up  to  it  with 
a  feeling  of  awe.     It  is  itself  the  drator  of  this  occasion. 

3.  It  is  not  from  my  lips,  it  is  not  from  any  human 
lips,  that  that  strain  of  eloquence  is  this  day  to  flow, 
most  competent  to  move  and  excite  the  vast  multitudes 
around.  The  potent  speaker  stands  motionless  hefbre 
them.  It  is  a  plain  shaft.  It  bears  no  inscriptions, 
fronting  to  the  rising  siin,  from  which  the  future  anti- 
quarian shall  wipe  the  diist.  Nor  does  the  rising  sun 
cause  tones  of  viusic  to  issue  from  its  siimmit.  But 
at  the  rising  of  the  sun,  and  at  the  setting  of  the  sun, 
in  the  blaze  of  ndoTi-day,  and  beneath  the  milder  efful- 
gence of  liXnar  light,  it  looks,  it  speaks,  it  acts,  to  the 
full  comprehension  of  every  American  mind,  and  the 
awakening  of  glowing  enthusiasm  in  every  American 
heart. 

4.  Its  silent,  but  awful  utterance  ;  its  deep  pathos,  as 
it  brings  to  our  contemplation  the  17th  of  June,  1775, 
and  the  consequences  which  have  resulted  to  us,  to  our 
country,  and  to  the  world,  from  the  events  of  that  day, 
and  which  we  know  must  continue  to  rain  influence  on 
the  destinies  of  mankind  to  the  end  of  time ;  the  eleva- 
tion with  which  it  raises  us  high  above  the  ordinary 
feelings  of  life — surpass  all  that  the  study  of  the  closet, 
or  even  the  inspiration  of  genius  can  produce. 

5.  To-day,  it  speaks  to  iXs.  Its  fUture  auditories  will 
be  through  successive  generations  of  mdn,  as  they  rise 
up  lefore  it,  and  gather  round  it.  Its  speech  will  be  of 
patriotism  and  courage;  of  civil  and  religious  llhcrty ; 
of  free  gov  eminent ;  of  the  moral  improvement  and  ele- 
vation of  mankind;  and  of  the  immortal  memory  of 
those   who,   with   heroic   devotion,   have   sacrificed   their 

lives   for   their   country.  D^niel  Webster. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  331 

23.   THE  BIETHDAY   OF  WASHINGTON. 

1.  The  birthday  of  the  "  Father  of  his  Country" !  May 
it  ever  be  freshly  remembered  by  American  hearts ! 
May  it  ever  re-awaken  in  them  a  filial  veneration  for 
his  memory;  ever  rekindle  the  fires  of  patriotic  regard 
for  the  country  which  he  loved  so  w^ell,  to  which  he 
gave  his  youthful  vigor  and  his  youthful  energy,  during 
the  perilous  period  of  the  early  Indian  warfare ;  to  which 
he  devoted  his  life  in  the  maturity  of  his  powers,  in  the 
field;  to  wdiich  again  he  offered  the  counsels  of  his  wis- 
dom and  his  experience,  as  president  of  the  convention 
that  framed  our  Constitution;  w^liich  he  guided  and 
directed  while  in  the  chair  of  state,  and  for  which  the 
last  prayer  of  his  earthly  supplication  was  offered  up, 
w^hen  it  came  the  moment  for  him  so  well,  and  so 
grandly,  and  so  calmly,  to  die. 

2.  He  was  the  first  man  of  the  time  in  which  he  grew. 
His  memory  is  first  and  most  sacred  in  our  love,  and 
ever  hereafter,  till  the  last  drop  of  blood  shall  freeze  in 
the  last  American  heart,  his  name  shall  be  a  spell  of 
power  and  of  might. 

3.  Yes,  gentlemen,  there  is  one  personal,  one  vast 
felicity,  which  no  man  can  share  with  him.  It  w^as  the 
daily  beauty,  and  towering  and  matchless  glory  of  his 
life  which  enabled  him  to  create  his  country,  and  at  the 
same  time  secure  an  undying  love  and  regard  from 
the  whole  American  people.  "The  first  in  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen!"  Yes,  first!  He  has  our  first  and 
most  fervent  love. 

4.  Undoubtedly  there  were  brave  and  wise  and  good 
men,  before  his  day,  in  every  colony.  But  the  Amer- 
ican nation,  as  a  nation,  I  do  not  reckon  to  have  begun 
before  1774.  And  the  first  love  of  that  Young  America 
was  Washington.  The  first  word  she  lisped  was  his 
name.     Her   earliest    breath    spoke    it.     It   still   is   her 


332  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

proud  ejaculation;   and  it  will  be  the  last  gasp  of  her 
expiring  life ! 

5.  Yes;  others  of  our  great  men  have  been  appre- 
ciated— many  admired  by  all ;  but  him  we  love ;  him  we 
all  love.  .  About  and  around  him  we  call  up  no  dissen- 
tient and  discordant  and  dissatisfied  elements — no  sec- 
tional prejudice  nor  bias — no  party,  no  creed,  no  dogma 
of  politics.  None  of  these  shall  assail  him.  Yes ;  when 
the  storm  of  battle  blows  darkest  and  rages  highest,  the 
memory  of  Washington  shall  nerve  every  American 
arm,  and  cheer  every  American  heart.  rufus  choate. 


24.     THE  NATIONAL   CLOCK. 

1.  Every  nation  is  like  a  clock,  the  forces  at  work 
within  carrying  forward  some  purpose  or  plan  of  Prov- 
idence with  patient  constancy;  but  when  the  season 
comes  that  the  sixtieth  mmuie  is  due,  and  a  new  hour 
must  be  sounded,  perhaps  not  for  the  nation  alone,  but 
for  the  world,  thdn — thhi  tlie  clock  strikes,  and  it  may 
be  with  a  force  and  resonance  that  startles  and  inspires 
the  race. 

2.  The  first  American  revolution  was  such  a  period — 
that  was  the  glory  of  it.  The  English  Gdvernment  had 
oppressed  our  fathers.  It  tried  to  break  their  spirit. 
For  several  ydars  it  was  a  darh  time,  like  the  hours 
before  the  striking  of  the  dawn. 

3.  But  the  Colonial  time-piece  kept  tiching,  ticking  to 
the  pressure  of  the  English  Government,  the  giant 
wheels  playing  calmly  till  about  1775',  when  there  was 
a  strange  stir  and  hiizz  within  the  case.  The  jjeojile 
could  not  bear  any  rnbre  of  it.  But  the  sixtieth  nnnute 
came,  and  the  clock  striLck. 

4.  The  w'orld  heard — the  battle  of  Lexington — one  ;  the 
Declaration  of  Independence — tivb ;  the  surrender  of  Bur- 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  333 

goyne — three;   the   siege   of  Yorktoivn—fbur ;   the  Treaty 
of  Paris— five  ;  the  inauguration  of  Wdsliington — six. 

5.   And  then  it  was  sunrise  of  the  nevj  day,  of  which 
we  have  seen  yet  only  the  glorious  forenoon. 

Thomas  Starr  King. 


25.     FEEE   SCHOOLS. 

1.  It  is  impossible  for  us  adequately  to  conceive  the 
boldness  of  the  measure  which  aimed  at  universal  edu- 
cation through  the  establishment  of  Free  Schools.  As 
a  fact,  it  had  no  precedent  in  the  world's  history;  and, 
as  a  theory,  it  could  have  been  refuted  and  silenced  by 
a  more  formidable  array  of  argument  and  experience 
than  was  ever  marshaled  against  any  other  institution 
of  human  origin. 

2.  But  time  has  ratified  its  soundness.  Two  centuries 
of  successful  operation  now  proclaim  it  to  be  as  wise 
as  it  was  courageous,  and  as  beneficent  as  it  was  disin- 
terested. Every  community  in  the  civilized  world  awards 
it  the  meed  of  praise,  and  States  at  home,  and  nations 
abroad,  in  the  order  of  their  intelligence,  are  copying 
the  bright  example. 

3.  What  we  call  the  enlightened  nations  of  Christen- 
dom   are   approaching,   by   slow   degrees,   to    the    moral 

.  elevation  wdiich  our  ancestors  reached  at  a  single  bound ; 
and  the  tardy  convictions  of  the  one  have  been  assimi- 
lating, through  a  period  of  two  centuries,  to  the  intuitions 
of  the  other. 

4.  The  establishment  of  Free  Schools  was  one  of  those 
grand  mental  and  moral  experiments  whose  effects  could 
not  be  developed  and  made  manifest  in  a  single  genera- 
tion. But  now,  according  to  the  manner  in  which  human 
life  is  computed,  we  are  the  sixth  generation  from  its 
founders;  and  have  we  not  reason  to  be  grateful,  both 
to   God   and   man,  for  its  unnumbered  blessings  ?     The 


334  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

sincerity  of  our  gratitude  must  be  tested  by  our  efforts 
to  perpetuate  and  to  improve  what  they  established. 
The  gratitude  of  the  lips  only  is  an  unholy  oftering. 

Horace  Mann. 


26.     THE   BALLOT. 

1.  Consider,  for  a  moment,  what  it  is  to  cast  a  vote. 
It  is  the  token  of  inestimable  'p^'^'^^^^O^^j  ^nd  involves 
the  responsibilities  of  an  hereditary  triXst.  It  has  passed 
into  your  hands  as  a  right,  reaped  from  fields  of  suffer- 
ing and  blood. 

2.  The  grdncleur  of  hlstorij  is  represented  in  your  act. 
Men  have  wrought  with  pen  and  tongue,  and  pined  in 
dungeons,  and  died  on  scaffolds,  that  you  might  obtain 
this  symbol  of  freedom,  and  enjoy  this  consciousness  of 
a  sacred  individuality.  To  the  ballot  have  been  trans- 
mitted, as  it  wdre,  the  dignity  of  the  sceptre  and  the 
potency  of  the  suiord. 

3.  And  that  which  is  so  potent  as  a  right,  is  also 
pregnant  as  a  duty ;  a  duty  for  the  present  and  for  the 
future.  If  you  will,  that  folded  leaf  becomes  a  tongue 
of  justice,  a  voice  of  order,  a  force  of  imperial  law — 
securing  rights,  abolishing  abuses,  erecting  new  institu- 
tions of  truth  and  love.  And,  however  you  tvill,  it  is 
the  expression  of  a  solemn  responsibility,  the  exercise  of 
an  immeasurable  power  for  good  or  for  dvil,  n6w  and 
hereafter. 

4.  It  is  the  medium  through  which  you  act  upon 
your  country — the  organic  nerve  which  incorporates  you 
with  its  life  and  welfare.  There  is  no  agent  with  which 
the  possibilities  of  the  republic  are  more  intimately  in- 
volved, none  upon  which  we  can  fall  back  with  more 
confidence  than  the  5d//o^-box.  e.  h.  chapin. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION".  335 

27.     EDUCATIOlSrAL    POWEE. 

1.  The  true  teacher  must  have  the  faith  of  martyrs. 
In  the  limited  horizon  of  the  school-room,  the  teacher 
can  dimly  see  only  the  beginning  of  the  effects  of  his 
training  upon  his  pupils.  The  solid  and  lasting  results, 
the  building  up  of  character,  the  creative  power  of 
motives,  are  made  evident  only  in  the  wider  circle  of 
the  world,  and  at  the  end  of  a  life-time."  Hence  the 
power  of  the  teacher,  like  that  of  the  silent  and  invis- 
ible forces  of  nature,  is  only  feebly  realized. 

2.  I  once  visited,  in  the  Sierra,  a  quartz  mine  of 
fabulous  richness.  Deep  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
swarthy  miners  were  blasting  out  the  gold-bearing  rock; 
above,  the  powerful  mill  was  crushing  the  quartz  with 
its  iron  teeth.  In  the  office,  piles  of  yellow  bars,  ready 
to  be  sent  to  the  mint  to  be  poured  into  the  channels 
of  trade,  showed  the  immediate  returns  of  well-directed 
labor  and  wisely  invested  capital.  An  hour  later,  I 
stepped  into  a  public  school-house  not  half  a  mile  distant, 
where  fifty  children  were  conning  their  lessons.  What 
does  the  school  yield,  I  asked  myself,  on  the  invest- 
ment of  money  by  the  State  ?  The  returns  of  the  mine 
were  made  in  solid  bullion;  the  school  returns  w^ere  all 
far  in  the  unknown  future. 

3.  I  crossed  the  continent  from  the  Pacific  to  the 
Atlantic  on  the  grandest  commercial  highway  ever  built, 
and  all  along,  towns,  villages,  cities,  mines,  farms,  machine 
shops,  manufactories,  and  converging  roads  bore  evidence 
of  the  mighty  physical  forces  of  the  nation ;  and  when  I 
entered  a  meeting  of  the  National  Educational  Association 
in  a  Boston  school-house,  where  two  hundred  thoughtful 
men  and  women  w^ere  assembled,  it  seemed,  after  wit- 
nessing the  gigantic  play  of  industrial  and  commercial 
forces,  that  the  school-masters  and  school-mistresses  were 
lookers-on  and  idlers  in  the  bustling  life  around. 


336  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

4.  But  when,  in  tlie  mild  summer  evening,  I  walked 
under  the  elms  of  Boston  Common  and  reflected  that 
independence  was  once  only  a  dim  idea  in  the  minds  of 
a  few  leading  patriots ;  that  the  engine  which  had  whirled 
me  over  the  iron  track,  three  thousand  miles  in  seven 
days,  was  once  only  an  idea  in  the  brain  of  an  enthu- 
siast ;  that  the  telegraph  wires,  radiating  like  nerves 
from  the  centers  of  civilization,  were  created  by  the  in- 
ventive genius  of  an  educated  thinker,  I  realized  that 
there  is  a  silent  power,  mightier  than  all  mechanical 
forces,  which  preserves,  directs,  and  controls  the  material 
prosperity  of  a  great  nation. 

5.  I  go  out  into  the  streets  of  the  great  commercial 
center  of  our  country.  I  hear  everywhere  the  hum  of 
industry,  and  see  around  the  stir  of  business.  I  see  the 
steamships  plying  like  gigantic  shuttles  to  weave  a  net- 
work of  commercial  relations  between  the  new  world 
and  the  old.  I  see  the  smoke  of  manufactories  where 
skillful  artisans  are  constructing  the  marvelous  produc- 
tions of  inventive  genius.  The  banks  are  open ;  keen 
capitalists  are  on  'Change  ;  and  the  full  tide  of  human- 
ity is  pulsating  through  every  artery  of  the  town.  The 
results  of  business  are  solid  and  tangible.  I  step  into 
the  iSTew  York  Normal  College  where  a  thousand  young 
women  are  fitting  for  tlie  profession  of  teaching,  and  if 
asked  for  the  tangible  results  of  the  educational  invest- 
ment, the  evidences  are  not  at  hand. 

6.  But  when  I  pause  to  consider  that  intelligence  is  the 
motive  power  of  trade  ;  that  the  city  with  its  banks,  ware- 
houses, churches,  residences,  and  manufactories,  is  the 
j)roduct  of  skilled  labor;  that  the  steamship  is  navigated 
by  means  of  science,  and  is  built  as  a  triumph  of  art :  that 
science  surveyed  the  railroad  lines,  and  that  skill  runs 
the  trains  freighted  with  the  products  of  industry  and 
art;  then  I  begin  to  perceive  some  connection  between 
educational  forces  and  the  material  results  of  civilization. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  337 

28.     SCHOOLS   AND   TEACHERS. 

1.  Looking  into  the  near  future,  I  see  the  aisles  of 
the  school-room  widen  into  the  broad  streets  of  the  city. 
The  boys  are  business  men.  One  commands  the  steam- 
ship, one  operates  the  telegraph,  and  another  runs  an  en- 
gine ;  one  is  a  railroad  director,  and  another  rides  over 
the  road  to  take  his  seat  in  the  senate  of  the  L^nited 
States.  One  works  a  gold  mine,  another  an  iron  mine, 
and  another  a  coal  mine ;  one  is  a  merchant,  one  a  banker, 
one  a  Wall-street  speculator;  one  is  a  farmer  in  the 
west,  another  a  manufacturer  in  the  east;  one  is  a  mer- 
chant, another  a  mechanic,  and  a  third  is  an  inventor. 

2.  The  girls  have  become  women.  Some  preside  as 
queens  in  home  circles,  some  are  teachers,  some  are 
writers,  some  are  artists,  and  others  are  skilled  in 
household  work.  I  realize  that  the  life  of  a  nation  is 
made  up  of  mothers  that  guard  the  homes  of  the  men 
who  drive  the  plow,  build  the  ships,  run  the  mills,  w^ork 
the  mines,  construct  machinery,  print  the  papers,  shoulder 
the  musket,  and  cast  the  ballots ;  and  it  is  for  all  these 
that  the  public  schools  have  done  and  are  now  doing 
their  beneficent  work. 

3.  When  I  ponder  over  the  far-reaching  influence  of 
the  teacher  and  the  school,  I  comprehend,  in  some 
measure,  the  relation  to  our  national  well-being,  of  our 
American  system  of  free  XJ^t)lic  schools — the  best,  not- 
withstanding its  defects  and  shortcomings,  that  the 
world  has  ever  known.  It  is  the  duty  of  every  teacher 
to  strive  with  all  his  heart,  and  with  all  his  soul,  and 
with  all  his  might,  to  perfect  a  system  of  education 
which  shall  train  a  race  of  men  and  women  in  the  next 
generation,  that  shall  inherit,  with  the  boundless  re- 
sources of  our  favored  land,  something  of  the  energy, 
enterprise,  talent,  and  character  of  the  sturdy  pioneers 
who  settled  and  subdued  the  wilderness. 


338  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

4.  Only  timid  and  despairing  souls  are  frightened  into 
the  belief  that  the  foundations  of  society  are  breaking 
up  on  account  of  over-education  in  the  common  schools. 
Neither  representatives  of  the  Caste  of  Capital  nor  the 
Caste  of  Culture  can  convince  the  American  people  that 
vice,  crime,  idleness,  poverty,  and  social  discontent  are 
the  necessary  result  of  an  elementary  education  among 
the  workers  of  society.  No  demagogue,  with  specious 
statements,  can  lead  any  considerable  number  of  citizens 
to  regard  the  school-master  as  a  public  enemy. 

5.  The  free  common  school  is  the  Plymouth  Kock  of 
American  liberty.  If  the  system  of  free  schools,  as  now 
conducted  and  organized,  fails  to  meet  the  needs  of 
social  progress,  not  the  extent,  but  the  kind  and  quality, 
of  education  must  be  changed.  Neither  high  school  nor 
university  must  be  lopped  off  from  our  free-school  system. 

G.  It  is  only  through  skilled  labor,  wisely  and  intelli- 
gently directed,  that  a  people  can  become  or  remain 
permanently  prosperous  and  happy ;  it  is  only  by  means 
of  intelligent  and  educated  voters  that  liberty  can  be 
preserved;  and  it  is  only  by  means  of  a  more  complete 
education  among  all  classes  that  humanity  can  rise  to 
a  higher  type  of.  social  evolution.  There  is  no  slavery 
so  oppressive  as  that  of  ignorance. 


29.     ELEMENTS   OF   THE   AMEEICAN 
GOVEENMENT. 

1.  The  English  colonists  in  America,  generally  speak- 
ing, Avere  men  who  were  seeking  new  homes  in  a  new 
world.  They  brought  with  them  their  families  and  all 
that  was  most  dear  to  them.  Many  of  them  were  edu- 
cated men,  and  all  possessed  their  full  vshare,  according 
to  their  social  condition,  of  knowledge  and  attainments 
of  that  a2;e. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  339 

2.  The  distinctive  characteristic  of  their  settlement  is 
the  introduction  of  the  civilization  of  Europe  into  a 
wilderness,  without  bringing  with  it  the  political  insti- 
tutions of  Europe.  The  arts,  sciences,  and  literature  of 
P^ngland  came  over  with  the  settlers.  That  great  por- 
tion of  the  common  law  which  regulates  the  social  and 
personal  relations  and  conduct  of  men,  came  also. 

3.  The  jury  came ;  the  habeas  corpus  came ;  the  tes- 
tamentary power  came ;  and  the  law  of  inheritance  and 
descent  came  also,  except  that  part  of  it  which  recog- 
nizes the  rights  of  primogeniture,  which  either  did  not 
come  at  all,  or  soon  gave  way  to  the  rule  of  equal  par- 
tition of  estates  among  children. 

4.  But  the  monarchy  did  not  come,  nor  the  aristocracy, 
nor  the  Church,  as  an  estate  of  the  realm.  Political 
institutions  were  to  be  framed  anew,  such  as  should  be 
adapted  to  the  state  of  things.  But  it  could  not  be 
doubtful  what  should  be  the  nature  and  character  of 
these  institutions.  A  general  social  equality  prevailed 
among  the  settlers,  and  an  equality  of  political  rights 
seemed  the  natural,  if  not  the  necessary  consequence. 

Daniel  Webster. 


340  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

SECTION   III. 
RECITATIONS  AND  READINGS:    POETRY, 

1.     THE   CEOWDED    STEEET. 

1.  Let  me  move  slowly  |  through  the  street, 

Filled  I  with  an  ever-shifting  train, 
Amid  the  sound  |  of  steps  that  beat  | 
The  murmuring  vjdlks  \  like  dutumn  rain. 

2.  How  fast  I  the  flitting  figures  \  come ! 

The  mild,  the  fierce,  the  stony  lace ; 
Some  I  bright  with  thoughtless  smiles,  and  some  \ 
Where  secret  tears  \  have  left  their  trace. 

3.  They  pass — to  toil,  to  strife,  to  rest ; 

To  hdlls  I  in  which  the  feast  \  is  spread  ; 
To  chambers  |  where  the  funeral  guest  | 
In  silence  |  sits  |  beside  the  dead ! 

4.  And  soyne  \  to  happy  homes  repair, 

Where  children  pressing  cheek  to  cheek, 
With  mute  caresses  \  shall  declare  j 
The  tenderness  \  they  cannot  speak, 

5.  And  s6me,  who  walk  in  cdlniness  h^re, 

Shall  shudder  when  they  reach  the  door  | 
Where  one  \  who  made  their  dwelling  d^ar, 
Its  flower,  its  liglit,  is  seen  no  more. 

6.  Youth,  with  pale  cheek  |  and  slender  frame, 

And  dreams  of  greatness  [in  thine  eye  I 
Goest  thou  to  build  an  early  ndme, 
Or  early  |  in  the  task  |  to  die  ? 

7.  Keen  son  of  trade,  with  eager  brow ! 

Who  I  is  now  fluttering  |  in  thy  snare  ? . 
Thy  golden  fortunes,  tower  they  now. 
Or  vielt  I  the  glittering  spires  |  in  air  ? 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  341 

8.  Who  I  of  this  crowd  |  to-night  |  shall  tread  | 

The  dance  |  till  daylight  gleam  again  ? 
Who  I  sorrow  o'er  the  untimely  dead  ? 
Who  I  writhe  |  in  throes  |  of  inortal  pain  ? 

9.  Sojue  I  famine-struck,  shall  think  how  long  | 

The  cold  |  dark  hours,  how  slow  |  the  light; 
And  some,  who  flaunt  amid  the  throng, 
Shall  hide  |  in  dens  of  shkme  \  to-night. 

10.  Eacli,  where  his  tasks  or  pleasures  call, 

They  pass,  and  heed  each  other  nut. 
There  is  \  who  heeds,  who  holds  them  all. 
In  His  large  love  \  and  boundless  thought. 

11.  These  struggling  tides  |  of  life  |  that  seem  | 

In  wayward,  aimless  course  to  t^nd, 
Are  dddies  |  of  the  mighty  stream  \ 
That  rolls  \  to  its  appointed  end.  Bryant. 


2.     THE   BUILDERS. 

1.  All  \  are  architects  of  Fhte, 

Working  |  in  these  walls  of  Time; 

S6me  I  with  massive  deeds  |  and  great. 

Some  I  with  ornaments  |  of  rhyme. 

2.  Nothing  |  useless  is  |  or  Ibw ; 

Each  thing  |  in  its  place  |  is  hest ; 
And  wliat  seems  \  but  idle  shdw  \ 
Strengthens  |  and  supports  the  rfest. . 

3.  For  the  sir'Actiire  \  that  we  raise, 

Tiiyie  \  is  with  materials  |  filled ; 
Our  to-days  j  and  yesterdays  | 
Are  the  Mdchs  \  with  which  we  luild. 

4.  Truly  shape  |  and  fashion  these; 

Leave  no  yawning  g^ps  \  between ; 


342  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Think  not,  because  no  man  sees, 
Such  things  |  will  remain  unseen. 

5.  In  the  elder  days  |  of  art, 

Builders  wrought  |  with  greatest  care  | 
Each  minute  |  and  unseen  part; 
Tor  the  gods  are  evcryiohere. 

6.  Let  us  do  our  work  |  as  ivell, 

Both  the  ilnsccn  \  and  the  seen; 
Make  the  liouse,  where  gods  \  may  dwell, 
Beautiful,  entire,  and  cl^an. 

7.  Else  our  lives  |  are  incomplete, 

Standing  |  in  these  walls  of  Time; 
Broken  stairways,  where  tlie  feet  | 
StuinUe  I  as  they  seek  to  climl). 

8.  Build  to-day,  then,  strdng  and  sure, 

With  a  firm  |  and  ample  hcisc, 
And  I  ascending  and  secure  | 
Shall  io-moi'Tow  |  find  its  place. 

9.  Thus  alone  ]  can  we  attain  | 

To  those  turrets,  where  the  eye  [ 
Sees  the  world  |  as  one  vast  plain, 
And  one  boundless  reach  |  of  sky.     ' 

8.     PSALM   OF   LIFE. 

1.  Tell  me  not  |  in  mournful  numbers. 

Life  I  is  but  an  empty  dream ; 
For  the  soul  [  is  dead  \  that  slumbers. 
And  things  |  are  not  |  what  they  seem, 

2.  Life  )  is  real  !     Life  |  is  earnest  ! 

And  the  grave  |  is  not  its  goal ; 
Dust  I  thou  art,  to  dust  retiirnest, 
Was  not  spoken  |  of  the  soul. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  343 

3.  Not  enjoyment,  and  not  wrrow, 

Is  our  destined  end  or  way; 
But  to  hd  that  each  to-morrow  | 
Finds  us  farther  |  than  to-day. 

4.  Art  I  is  long,  and  Time  |  is  flfeeting, 

And  our  hearts,  though  stout  and  brave, 
Still,  like  muffled  drums,  are  beating  | 
Funeral  marches  j  to  the  grave. 

5.  In  the  world's  broad  field  of  battle, 

In  the  bivouac  of  Life, 
Be  not  like  dumb,  driven  cdtiU ;  — 
Be  a  hero  \  in  the  strife  1 

6.  Trust  no  Future,  howe'er  'pleasant  ! 

Let  the  dead  Past  |  hury  its  dead  ! 
Ad — ad  in  the  living  Present! 
Heart  v:itMn,  and  God  |  overhead. 

7.  Lives  of  great  men  |  all  remind  us  | 

We  can  make  oiXr  lives  j  sublime, 
And,  departing,  leave  behind  us  | 
Foot-prints  |  on  the  sands  of  time. 

8.  Foot-prints,  that  perhaps  another, 

Sailing  o'er  life's  solemn  main — 
A  forlorn  |  and  shipwrecked  brother — 
Seeing,  shall  take  heart  again. 

9.  Let  us,  then,  be  ujp  and  doing, 

With  a  lieart  |  for  hny  fate ; 
Still  achieving,  still  pursuing, 

Learn    to    Idhor  \  and   to   Vjdit,  Longfellow. 


344  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


4.     APOSTEOFHE   TO   THE   OCEAN. 

[This  poem  is  to   he  read  icifJi  sloiv  movement^  median  stress,  expul- 
sive orotuncl  quality,  and  strong  force.~\ 


There  is  a  'pUasiire  \  in  the  pathless  ivoodSj 
There  is  a  rapture  \  on  the  lonely  shore, 

There  is  soeiety,  where  none  intrudes, 
By  the  deep  sea,  and  music  in  its  roar. 

I  love  not  man  the  less  |  but  nature  |  more. 
From  these  our  interviews,  in  which  I  steal  | 

From -all  I  may  be,  ov  have  been  before, 
To  mingle  with  the  universe,  and  feel  | 

What  I  can  ne'er  express,  yet  can  not  all  conceal. 

2. 

IioU  on,  thou  deep  and  dark  blue  ocean,  roll ! 
Ten  thousand  fleets  |  sweep  over  thee  in  vain. 

Man  I  marks  the  earth  witli  rijiin — his  control  | 
Stops  with  the  shore ; — upon  the  watery  ^.^Mm  | 

The  wrecks  \  are  all  thy  deed,  nor  doth  remain  | 
A  shadow  of  mdin's  ravage,  save  his  own, 

When,  for  a  moment,  like  a  drop  of  rain, 
He  sinks  into  thy  depths  |  with  bubbling  groan — 

Without  a  grave,  unknelled,  imcoffined,  and  unknown. 


The  drmaments  \  which  thunderstrike  the  w^alls  | 
Of  roch-huilt  cities,  bidding  ndtions  quake,  | 

And  mdnarchs  \  tremble  in  their  capitals; 
The  oak  leviathan,  whose  huge  rihs  make  | 

Their  clay  creator  |  the  vain  title  take  | 
Of  lord  of  thee,,  and  arbiter  of  war — 

Th^se  I  are  thy  toT/s,  and,  as  the  snowy  Jldke, 
They  melt  into  thy  yeast  of  vjdves,  which  mar 

Alike  I  the  Armada's  pi-ide,  or  spoils  of  Trafalghr. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  345 


Thy  shores  are  empires,  changed  in  all  save  thee; — 
Assyria,  Grdece,  Eome,  Carthage,  whM  are  they'} 

Thy  waters  |  washed  them  power  |  while  they  were  free, 
And  many  a  tyrant  \  since ;  tlieir  shores  obey  | 

The  stranger,  slave,  or  savage ;  their  decay  | 
Has  dried  up  realms  to  deserts :  not  so  |  thou ; 

UnchdngeaUe  \  save  to  thy  wild  waves'  play, 
Time  \  writes  no  ivrmkle  \  on  thine  azure  brow : 

Such  as  creation's  dawn  beheld,  thou  roUest  nbio. 

5. 

Thou  glorious  mirror,  w^here  the  Almighty's  form  | 
Glasses  itself  in  tempests ;  in  all  time, 

Calm  or  convulsed — in  brdeze,  or  gale,  or  storm — 
Icing  the  pole,  or  in  the  torrid  clime  | 

Dark  heaving  ;  boundless,  endless,  and  sublime  ! 
The  image  of  eternity — the  throne  \ 

Of  the  Invisible ;  even  from  out  thy  slime  \ 
The  monsters  of  the  dhp  \  are  made ;  each  zone  | 

Obeys  thee;  thou  goest  forth,  dread,  fathomless,  albne. 

6. 

And  I  have  loved  thee,  ocean !  and  my  joy  | 
Of  youthful  sports  |  was  on  thy  breast  to  be 

Borne,  like  thy  bubbles,  bniuard ;  from  a  boy  \ 
I  wantoned  witli  thy  breakers — they  |  to  me  | 

Were  a  delight ;  and,  if  the  freshening  s^a  | 
Made  them  a  terror,  't  was  a  pleasing  f^ar ; 

For  I  was,  as  it  were,  a  child  of  thee, 
And  trusted  to  thy  billows  \fdr  and  nmr, 

And  laid  my  hand  upon  thy  mdne — as  do  I  here. 

Byron. 


346  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

5.     BATTLE   OF   WATEELOO. 

1. 

There  was  a  sound  of  revelrij  by  night, 

And  Belgium's  capital  had  gathered  then 
Her  heccTity  and  her  chivalry,  and  bright 

The  lamps  shone  o'er  fair  tvomeii  and  hi^dve  men; 
A  thousand  hearts  beat  happily;  and  when 

Music  arose  witli  its  volu]jtuous  swell, 
Soft  eyes  looked  love  to  eyes  whicli  sjodke  again, 

And  all  went  merry  as  a  marriage-h^W] — 
But  hush  !  hdrh  I  a  deej?  sound  strikes  like  a  rising  knell  ! 

2. 

Did  ye  not  hear  it  ? — No  ;  't  was  but  the  lomd, 

Or  the  car  rattling  o'er  the  stony  strfeet : 
On  with  the  dance  !  let  joy  be  unconf  ined  ; 

Xo  sleep  till  mbrn,  when  youth  and  pleasure  meet 
To  chase  the  glowing  hours  with  flying  feet 

But  hark ! — that  heavy  sound  breaks  in  once  more, 
As  if  the  clouds  its  echo  would  repeat; 

And  nearer,  clearer,  deadlier  than  before ! 
Arm  !  aem  !  it  is — it  is — the  cannons  opening  roar  ! 

3. 
Ah  !  then  and  there  was  hurrying  to  and  fro, 

And  gathering  tears,  and  tremblings  of  distress, 
And  cheeks  all  pale,  which  but  an  hour  ago 

Blushed  at  the  praise  of  their  own  Ibveliness ; 
And  there  were  sudden  partings,  such  as  jjress 

The  life  from  out  young  hearts,  and  choking  sighs 
Which  ne'er  might  hQ  repeated ;  who  could  guess 

If  ever  more  should'  meet  those  mutual  eyes, 
Since  upon  night  so  sweet  such  awful  mbrn  could  rise  ? 

4. 
And  there  was  mounting  in  hot  haste;  the  steed, 
The  mustering  squadron,  and  the  clattering  car, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  347 

Went  pouring  forward  with  impetuous  speed, 
And  swiftly  forming  in  the  ranks  of  war; 
And  the  deep  thiiiicler  'peal  on  ]^eal  afar ; 

And  near,  the  beat  of  the  cddrinmg  drum 
Koused  up  the  soldier  ere  the  morning  sthr ; 
While  thronged  the  citizens  with  terror  dumb, 
Or  whispering  with  wdiite  lips  :   "  The  foe  !     They  come  I 
they  come  !  " 

5. 

^^''^>...And  Ardennes  waves  above  them  her  green  leaves, 
^^;,n"!.     Dewy  with  nature's  tdar-drops,  as  they  pass, 
W^f,^;Grieving,  if  aught  inanimate  e'er  gridves, 
^v^a-^      Over  the  unreturning  hrctve — alas  1 — 
Ifv'-^^'Er^  evening  to  be  trodden  like  the  grdss, 
'^f:;^    Which  now  beneath  them,  but  above  shall  grow 
^"^'In  its  next  verdure,  when  this  fiery  mass 

Of  living  valor,  rolling  on  the  foe, 
And  burning  v:ith  high  hope,  shall  moulder  cold  and  low 

6. 
Last  noon  beheld  them  full  of  lusty  life; 

Last  eve  in  Beaiity's  circle  proudly  ghy ; 
The  midnight  brought  the  signal-sound  of  strife; 

The  morn,  the  marshaling  in  drms — the  day, 
Battle's  magnificently  stern  arrdy  ! 

The  thunder-clouds  close  h'er  it,  which,  when  r(^nt, 
The  earth  is  covered  thick  with  other  clay — 

Which  her  own  clay  shall  cover,  heaped  and  p^nt, 
Eider  and  horse — friend,  foe — in  one  red  burial  blent. 

Cyron's  Cliildc  Harold. 


6.     SANTA  FILOMENA. 

This  poem  \vas  written  in  honor  of  Florence  Nightingale,  an  Eng- 
lish lady,  distinguished  for  her  philanthropy,  and  for  her  devotion 
to  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers  in  the  Crimean  war.  *'Filomena" 
is    the    Latin    for    "  Niditinf^ale."     There  is  a  Saint  Filomena,   who  is 


348  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

represented  as  floating  down  from  heaven  attended  by  two  angels 
bearing  the  lily,  palm,  and  javelin,  and  beneath,  in  the  foreground, 
the  sick  and  maimed,  who  are  healed  by  her  intercession. 

1.  Whene'er  a  noble  deed  |  is  wrought, 
Whene'er  is  spoke  |  a  noble  thought, 

Our  hearts,  in  glad  surprise. 
To  higher  levels  \  rise. 

2.  The  tidal  wave  j  of  deeper  souls  | 
Into  our  inmost  being  |  rolls, 

And  lifts  us  |  unawares  | 
Out  of  all  meaner  cares. 

3.  Honor  to  those  |  whose  words  and  deeds  | 
Thus  help  us  |  in  our  daily  ndeds. 

And  I  by  their  overflow  | 
Eaise  us  |  from  what  is  low  ! 

4.  Thus  thought  T,  as  by  night  I  rdad  | 
Of  the  great  army  |  of  the  ddad, 

The  trenches  |  cold  and  damp, 
The  starved  |  and  frozen  camp; 

5.  The  wounded  |  from  the  battle  plain, 
In  dreary  hospitals  of  pain — 

The  cheerless  corridors, 
The  cold  |  and  stony  floors. 

6.  L6 !  in  that  house  of  misery  | 
A  lady  |  with  a  lamp  |  I  see  | 

Pass  through  the  glimmering  gloom, 
And  flit  I  from  room  to  room. 

7.  And  slow  |  as  in  a  dream  of  bliss, 
The  speechless  sufferer  |  turns  to  kiss  | 

Her  shadow,  as  it  falls  | 
Upon  the  darkening  w^alls. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  349 

8.  As  if  a  door  in  heaven  |  should  be  | 
Opened  |  and  then  closed  suddenly, 

The  vision  |  came  and  wdnt, 
The  light  shone  |  and  was  spfent. 

9.  On  England's  annals,  the  long 
Hereafter  |  of  her  speech  and  song, 

That  light  |  its  rays  |  shall  cast  | 
From  portals  |  of  the  past. 

10.  A  Lady  with  a  Lamp  |  shall  stand  | 
In  the  great  history  of  the  land, 

A  noble  type  of  good. 
Heroic  womanhood. 

11.  Nor  even  shall  be  wanting  here  | 
The  palm,  the  lily,  and  the  spear, 

The  symbols  |  that  of  yore  | 

Santa   Filomena   bore.  Longfellow. 


7:    THE   DEATH   STEUGGLE. 

[All  example  of  animated  and  impassioned  dcscrijJtion,  characterized 
hy  fast  inovement  and  radical  stress.] 

*'Now  yield  thee,  or,  by  Him  who  made 
The  world,  thy  heart's  blood  dyes  my  blade ! " 
"Thy  threats,  thy  mercy  I  defi)  / 
Let  recreant  yield,  who  fears  to  die." 
— Like  adder  darting  from  his  coil. 
Like  luolf  that  dashes  through  the  toil, 
Like  mountain-cat  who  guards  her  young, 
Full  at  Fitz-James's  throat  he  sprung ;  • 
Eec^ived,  but  recked  not  of  a  w^ound. 
And  locked  his  arms  his  foeman  round. — 
Now,  gallant  Saxon,  hold  thine  own ! 
No  maidens  arm  is  round  thee  thrown! 


350  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

That  desperate  grasp  thy  frame  might  i6e\ 

Through  bars  of  brass  and  triple  steel ! — 

They  trig,  they  strain  !  down,  down,  they  go, 

The  Gael  above,  Fitz-James  below. 

The  Chieftain's  gripe  his  throat  compressed; 

His  hice  was  planted  in  his  breast; 

His  clotted  locks  he  backward  threw. 

Across  his  brow  his  hand  he  dr^w. 

From  blood  and  mist  to  clear  his  sight, 

Then  gleamed  aloft  his  dagger  bright ! 

— But  hate  and  fury  ill  supplied 

The  stream  of  life's  exhausted  tide ; 

And  all  too  late  the  advantage  came, 

To  turn  the  odds  of  deadly  game; 

For,  while  the  dagger  gleamed  on  high, 

Eeeled  soid  and  seiise,  reeled  hrain  and  eye. 

Down  came  the  blow !  but  in  the  heath 

The  erring  hldde  found  bloodless  sheath. 

The  struggling  foe  may  now  unclasp 

The  fainting  Chief's  relaxing  grasp ; 

Unwounded  from  the  dreadful  close, 

But  breathless  all,  Fitz-James  arose.  scott. 


8.     SANDALPHOX. 

1.  Have  you  read  in  the  Talmud  of  old. 
In  the  Legends  the  Eabbins  have  told 

Of  the  limitless  realms  of  the  air; 
Have  you  read  it — the  marvelous  story 
Of  Sandalphon,  the  Angel  of  Glory, 

Sandalphon,  the  Angel  of  Prayer  ? 

2.  How,  erect,  at  the  outermost  gates 
Of  the  City  Celestial  he  waits, 

Witli  his  feet  on  the  ladder  of  light, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  351 

That,  crowded  with  angels  unnumbered, 
By  Jacob  w^as  seen,  as  he  slumbered 
Alone  in  the  desert  at  nifAit  ? 

o 

3.  The  Angels  of  Wind  and  of  Fire 
Chant  only  one  hymn,  and  expire 

With  the  song's  irresistible  stress — 
Expire  in  their  rapture  and  wonder, 
As  harp-strings  are  broken  asunder 

By  music  they  throb  to  express. 

4.  But  serene  in  the  rapturous  throng, 
Unmoved  by  the  rush  of  the  song, 

With  eyes  unimpassioned  and  slow. 
Among  the  dead  angels,  the  deathless 
Sandalphon  stands  listening,  breathless. 

To  sounds  that  ascend  from  below^ ; — 

5.  From  the  spirits  on  earth  that  adore, 
From  the  souls  that  entreat  and  implore 

In  the  fervor  and  passion  of  prayer; 
From  the  hearts  that  are  broken  with  losses, 
And  weary  with  dragging  the  crosses 

Too  heavy  for  mortals  to  bear. 

6.  And  he  gathers  the  prayers  as  he  stands. 
And  they  change  into  flowers  in  his  hands, 

Into  garlands  of  purple  and  red ; 
And  beneath  the  great  arch  of  the  portal, 
Through  the  streets  of  the  City  Immortal 

Is  wafted  the  fragrance  they  shed. 

7.  It  is  but  a  legend  I  know, 
A  fable,  a  phantom,  a  show. 

Of  the  ancient  Eabbinical  lore ; 
Yet  the  old  mediceval  tradition, 
The  beautiful,  strange  superstition, 

But  haunts  me  and  holds  me  tlie  more. 


352  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

8.  When  I  look  from  my  window  at  night. 
And  the  welkin  above  is  all  white, 

All  throbbing  and  panting  with  stars, 
Among  them,  majestic,  is  standing 
Sandalphon,  the  angel,  expanding 

His  pinions  in  nebulous  bars. 

9.  And  the  Idgend,  I  feel,  is  a  part 

Of  the  hunger  and  thirst  of  the  heart — 

The  frdnzy  and. fire  of  the  brain, 
That  grasps  at  the  fruitage  forbidden, 
The  golden  pomegranates  of  Eden, 

To  quiet    its    fever    and    pain.  Longfellow. 

9.     THE   OLD    CONTINENTALS. 

[This  piece  may  be  rendered  with  a  considerahle  degree  of  imitative 
reading.  It  is  characterized  by  declamatory  force,  radical  stress,  and 
orotund,  quality.  Let  the  clctss  mark  for  rhetorical  pauses,  emphasis, 
and  inflections.} 

1.  In  their  ragged  regimentals, 
Stood  the  old  Continentals, 

Yielding  n6t, 
When  the  Grenadiers  were  lunging, 
And  like  hail  fell  the  ^^M^^^ztz^ 
Cannon-?i\iot ; 
AVhen  the  files 
Of  the  isles. 
From  the  smoky  night  encampment  bore   the  banner  of 
the  rampant 

tJnicorn, 
And  grummer,  grummer,  griimmer,  rolled  the   roll  of  the 
drummer, 

Through  the  morn ! 

2.  Then  with  eyes  to  the  frdnt  all, 
And  with  guns  horizdntal, 

Stood  our  sires; 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  353 

And  the  balls  whistled  deadly^ 
And  in  streams  flashing  redly 
Blazed  the  fires  ; 
As  tlie  r5ar 
On  the  shdre, 
Swept  the   strong  battle-breakers  o'er  the  green-sodded 
acres 

Of  the  plain ; 
And  louder,  loudei%  loitdeVy  cracked  the  black  gunpowder^ 
Cracked  amain ! 

3.  I^ow  like  smiths  at  their  forges 
Worked  the  red  St.  George's 

Cannoniers  ; 
And  the  villainous  "saltpeter" 
Eang  a  fierce,  discordant  mdter 

Eound  their  ears ; 

As  the  swift 

Storm-drift, 
With  hot,  sweeping  anger,  came  the  horse-guards'  clangor 

On  our  flanks. 
Then  higher,  higher,  higher,  burned  the  old-fashioned  fire 

Through  the  rhnks  ! 

4.  Then  the  old-fashioned  Colonel 
Galloped  through  the  white  infernal 

Phioder-Q\.ow&] 
And  his  broadsword  w\as  sivinging. 
And  his  brazen  throat  was  ringing 

Trivmpet-loud, 

Then  the  blue 

Bullets  fldw, 
And  the  trooper-jdickets  rdJden  at  the  touch  of  the  leaden 

^l^c-breath. 
And  rounder,  rounder,  rounder,  roared  the  iron  six-pfounder, 

Hurling  death!  mcMasters. 

23 


354  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

10.     THE  WINDS. 

[Bead  this  poem  line  by  line,  and  let  the  class  repeat,  in  concert, 
after  you.  Then  require  each  x>upil,  in  turn,  to  go  upon  the  platform 
and  read  one  stanza,  subject  to  the  criticism  of  the  class  and  teacher.] 

1. 

Ye  winds,  ye  unseen  currents  of  the  air, 
Softly  ye  played,  a  few  brief  hours  ago; 

Ye  bore  the  murmuring  hhe ;  ye  tossed  the  hair 
O'er  maiden  cheeks  that  took  a  fresher  glow ; 

Ye  rolled  the  round  white  cloud  through  depths  of  blue, 

Ye  shook  from  shaded  flowers  the  lingering  dfevv; 

Before  you  the  catalpa's  blossom  fl^w. 

Light  blossoms,  dropping  on  the  grass  like  snow. 

2. 

What  change  is  this  ?     Ye  take  the  chtar act's  sound ; 

Ye  take  the  wJilrlpoors  fury  and  its  might ; 
The  mountain  shudders  as  ye  sweep  the  ground; 

The  valley  woods  lie  prone  beneath  your  flight; 
The  clouds  before  you  shoot  like  eagles  past; 
The  homes  of  men  are  rocking  in  your  blast; 
Ye  lift  the  roofs  like  autumn  leaves,  and  cast. 

Skyward,  the  whirling  fragments  out  of  sight. 

3. 

The  weary  fowls  of  heaven  make  ^ving  in  vain, 

To  'scape  your  wrath;  ye  seize  and  dash  them  dead; 

Against  the  earth  ye  drive  the  roaring  rhin ; 
The  harvest  field  becomes  a  river's  bed  ; 

And  torrents  tumble  from  the  hills  around ; 

Plains  turn  to  lakes,  and  villages  are  drowned; 

And  wailing  voices,  midst  the  tempest's  sound, 
Else,  as  tlie  rushing  w^aters  sivell  and  spread. 

4. 

Ye  dart  upon  i\\^  deep ;   ^iXiA.  straight  is  heard 
A  lolldcr  roar;  and  men  grow  pale  and  pray; 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION,  355 

Ye  fling  its  floods  around  you,  as  a  bird 

Flings  o'er  his  shivering  plumes  the  fountain's  spray. 
She  I   to  the  breaking  mast  the  sailor  clings ; 
Ye  scoop  the  ocean  to  its  briny  springs, 
And  take  the  mountain  hlllow  on  your  wings, 

And  pile  the  wreck  of  navies  round  the  bay. 


Wliy  rage  ye  thus  ? — no  strife  for  liberty 

Has  made  you  mad  ;    no  tyrant,  strong  through  f^ar, 

Has  chained  your  pinions  till  ye  wrenched  them  frde. 
And  rushed  into  the  unmeasured  atmosphere; 

For  ye  w^ere  born  in  freedom  w^here  ye  blow  ; 

Free  o'er  the  mighty  deep  to  come  and  go; 

Earth's  solemn  woods  were  yours,  her  wastes  of  snow, 
Her  isles  where  summer  blossoms  all  the  yfear. 

G. 
0  ye  wild  winds ;  a  mightier  power  than  yours 

In  chains  upon  the  shore  of  Europe  lies; 
The  sceptered  throng,  whose  fetters  he  endures, 

Watch  his  mute  throes  with  terror  in  their  eyes ; 
And  armdd  warriors  all  around  him  stand, 
And,  as  he  struggles,  tighten  every  band. 
And  lift  the  heavy  spear,  w^ith  threatening  hand. 

To  pierce  the  victim,  should  he  strive  to  rise. 

7. 
Yet  oh !  when  that  wronged  Spirit  of  our  race 

Shall  br^ak,  as  soon  he  must,  his  long-w^orn  chains. 
And  leap  in  freedom  from  his  ^?'i,907i-place. 

Lord  of  his  ancient  hills  and  fruitful  plains, 
Let  him  not  rise,  like  these  mad  winds  of  air. 
To  waste  the  loveliness  that  time  could  spare. 
To  fill  the  earth  with  woe,  and  blot  the  fair 

Unconscious  breast  with  blood  from  liiiman  vdins. 


356  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

8. 

But  may  he  like  the  Sjjrlng-iime  come  abroad, 
Who  crumbles  Winter's  gyves  with  gentle  might, 

When  in  the  genial  breeze,  the  breath  of  God, 
Come  spouting  up  the  unsealed  springs  to  light; 

Flowers  start  from  their  dark  prisons  at  his  ffeet, 

The  woods,  long  dumb,  awake  to  hymnings  sweet;. 

And  morn  and  eve,  whose  glimmerings  almost  mdet, 
Crowd  back  to  narrow  bounds  the  ancient  night. 

Bkyant. 

11.     THE  DAY  IS  DONE. 

1.  The  day  is  done,  and  the  darkness 

Falls  from  the  wings  of  Night, 
As  a  feather  is  wafted  downward 
From  an  eagle  in  his  flight. 

2.  I  see  the  lights  of  the  village 

Gleam  through  the  rain  and  the  mist, 
And  a  feeling  of  sadness  comes  o'er  me 
That  my  soul  cannot  resist. 

3.  A  feeling  of  sadness  and  longing, 

That  is  not  akin  to  pain, 
And  resembles  sorrow  only, 

As  the  mist  resembles  the  rain. 

4.  Come,  read  to  me  some  ^:?^e7?i. 

Some  simple  and  heartfelt  lay. 
That  shall  soothe  this  restless  fueling, 
And  banish  the  thoughts  of  day. 

5.  N6t  from  the  grand  old  masters, 

Not  from  the  bards  sublime, 
Whose  distant  footsteps  echo 
Through  the  corridors  of  Time. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  357 

6.  For,  like  strains  of  martial  music, 

Their  mighty  thoughts  suggest 
Life's  endless  toil  and  endhavor ; 
And  to-night  I  long  for  rest 

7.  Eead  from  some  JiAmhler  poet, 

Whose  songs  gushed  from  his  heart, 
As  shdwers  from  the  clouds  of  summery 
Or  tears  from  the  eyelids  start; 

8.  Who,  through  long  days  of  labor, 

And  nights  devoid  of  dase. 
Still  heard  in  his  soul  the  music 
Of  wonderful  melodies. 

9.  Such  songs  have  power  to  quiet 

The  restless  pulse  of  care, 

And  come  like  the  benediction 

That  follows  after  prayer. 

10.  Tlien  read  from  the  treasured  volume 

The  poem  of   thy   choice, 
And  lend  to  the  rhyme  of  the  poet 
The  beauty  of  thy  voice. 

11.  And  the  night  shall  be  filled  with  viiisic, 

And  the  cares  that  infest  the  day, 
Shall  fold  their  tents  like  the  Arabs, 
And  as  silently  steal  away. 

Longfellow. 


12.     THE  BATTLE-FIELD. 

1,    Once  this  soft  tuQ]/,  this  rivulet's  sdruls, 
Were  trampled  |  by  a  hurrying  crowds 
And  fiery  hearts  \  and  arm(5d  hands  \ 
Encountered  in  the  hdttlc-oXowdi. 


358  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

2.  Ah' !  never  shall  the  land  forget  |  • 

Hov/  gushed  the  life-Uood  \  of  her  brave — 
Gushed,  warm  with  hope  and  courage  ydt, 
Upon  tlie  soil  \  they  fought  to  shve, 

3.  Now  all  is  calm,  and  fr^sh  and  still ; 

Alone  the  chirp  of  flitting  bird, 
And  talk  of  children  on  the  hill, 

And  bell  of  wandering  hlne  \  are  hfeard. 

4.  No  solemn  host  goes  trailing  by 

The  black-mouthed  giin  \  and  staggering  ivdin  ; 
Men  start  not  at  the  hdttle- cry ; 
Oh,  be  it  never  heard  aghin  I 

5.  Soon  rested  |  those  who  fought ;  but  thou. 

Who  minglest  in  the  harder  strife  | 
For  truths  |  which  men  receive  not  now. 
Thy  warfare  |  only  ends  with  l\fe. 

6.  A  friendless  warfare  !  lingering  long  | 

Through  weary  day  |  and  weary  yfear. 
A  wild  and  many- w caponed  throng  | 
Hang  on  thy  front,  and  flank,  and  rfear. 

7.  Yet  nerve  thy  spirit  |  to  the  proof. 

And  blench  not  at  thy  chosen  lot; 
The  timid  good  may  stand  aloof. 

The  sage  may  frown — yet  faint  thou  not. 

8.  Nor  heed  the  shaft  |  too  surely  cast, 

The  foul  I  and  hissing  bolt  of  scorn; 
For  with  thy  side  |  shall  dwell,  at  last, 
The  victory  |  of  endurance  \  born. 

9.  Tr4th  I  crushed  to  darth  |  shall  rise  again ; 

The  eternal  years  \  of  Gbd  are  lifers ; 
But  terror  \  wounded,  writhes  in  pain. 
And  dies  \  among  his  ivbrshipers. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  359 

10.  Yea,  though  thou  lie  upon  the  diist, 

When  they  who  helped  thee  liee  in  fdar, 
Die  I  full  of  hope  and  manly  trust, 
Like  those  who  fell  in  hattU  here. 

11.  Another  hand  |  the  sword  shall  wield, 

Another  hand  |  the  standard  wave, 
Till  from  the  trumpet's  mouth  |  is  pealed 
The  blast  of  triumioh  \  o'er  thy  grave. 

BRYA^T. 


13.     HYMN  TO   MONT   BLANC. 

[This  is  a  difficult  piece  of  reading.  It  should  he  first  analyzed 
grammatically  and  rhetorically y  to  enable  the  pupil  to  comprehend  the 
full  meaning.  The  reading^  in  general,  will  he  characterized  hy  me- 
dian stress,  orotund  quality,  strong  force,  and  slow  movement.'] 

Hast  thou  a  charm  to  stay  the  morning-star 
In  his  steep  course  ?     So  long  he  seems  to  pause 
On  thy  bald,  awful  h^ad,  0  sovereign  Blanc! 
The  Arve  and  Arveiron  at  thy  base 
Eave  ceaselessly ;  hwt  thou,  most  awful  form, 
Eisest  from  forth  thy  silent  sea  of  pines, 
How  silently  !     Around  thee  and  above, 
Deep  is  the  air  and  clarh ;  substantial  black; 
An  ehon  mass :    methinks  thou  fiercest  it 
As  with  a  wedge  !     But  when  I  look  again. 
It.  is  thine  own  calm  home,  thy  crystal  shrine^ 
Thy  hdhitcition  from  eternity. 

0  dread  and  silent  Mcmnt !  I  gazed  upon  thee, 
Till  thou,  still  present  to  the  hodily  sense, 

Didst  vccnish  from  my  thought :  entranced  in  prayer, 

1  worshiped  the  Invisible  alone. 

Yet,  like  some  sweet,  beguiling  melody — 
So  sweet,  we  know  not  we  are  listening  to  it — 
Thou,  the  meanwhile,  wast  blending  with  my  ilibught, 
Yea,  with  my  life  and  life's  own  secret  jby; 


360  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Till  the  dilating  soul — enrapt,  transfused 

Into  the  mighty  vision  passing — th^re, 

As  ill  her  natural  form,  swelled  vast  to  Heaven  ! 

Aivake,  my  soul  !  not  only  2^(^ssive  praise 
Thou  owest ;  not  alone  these  swelling  tears, 
Mute  thdnhs,  and  secret  ecstasy.     Awake, 
Voice  of  sweet  song !     Awake,  my  heart,  aichke  ! 
Green  xdles  and  icy  el%ffs,  all  join  my  hymn. 

Thou  first  and  chief,  sole  sovereign  of  the  vale! 
0,  struggling  w4th  the  darkness  all  the  night, 
And  visited  all  night  by  troops  of  stars. 
Or  when  they  climb  the  sky  or  when  they  sink; 
Companion  of  the  morning-star  at  dawn, 
Thyself  Earth's  rosy  star,  and  of  the  dawn 
Co-h^rald ;  w^ake,  0  ivctke,  and  utter  prdisc  ! 
•  Who  sank  thy  sunless  ]plllars  deep  in  fearth  ? 
Who  mied  thy  countenance  with  rosy  light  ? 
IVlib  made  thee  parent  of  'per'petual  streams  1 

And  you,  ye  five  w^ild  torrents,  fiercely  glad! 
Who  called  you  forth  from  night  and  utter  death, 
From  dark  and  icy  caverns  called  you  forth, 
Down  those  precipitous,  black,  jagged  rocks, 
For  ever  shattered  and  the  same  for  ever  ? 
Who  gave  you  your  invulnerable  life, 
Your  strength,  your  spfeed,  your  fury,  and  your  joy, 
Unceasing  thiiMder  and  eternal  foam  1 
And  who  commanded  (and  the  silence  came), 
"  Here  let  the  billoivs  stiffen,  and  have  rest  ? " 

Ye  Ice-Mh !  ye  that  from  the  mountain's  brow 
Adown  enormous  rdvines  slope  amain — 
Torrents,  methinks,  that  heard  a  mighty  voice. 
And  stopped  at  once  amid  their  maddest  plunge ! 
Motionless  torrents  !  silent  cataracts  ! — 
Who  made  you  glorious  as  the  gates  of  Heaven 
Beneath  the  keen  full  moon  ?     Who  bade  the  siin 
Clothe  you  with  rainbows  ?     Who,  with  living  flbwers 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  361 

Of  loveliest  blue,  spread  garlands  at  your  ftet  ?  — 

G6d  !   let  the  torrents,  like  a  shout  of  nations 

Answer !   and  let  the  ice-plains  echo,  God  ! 

God  !   sing  ye  meadow-streams  with  gladsome  voice ! 

Ye  ^mc-groves,  with  your  soft  and  soul-like  sounds ! 

And  they,  too,  have  a  voice,  yon  piles  of  snow, 

And  in  their  perilous  fall  shall  thunder,  God  ! 

Ye .  living  flowers  that  skirt  the  eternal  frost ! 

Ye  loild  ghats  sporting  round  the  hagU's  nest ! 

Ye  eagles,  playmates  of  the  mountain-storm  ! 

Ye  lightnings,  the  dread  arrows  of  the  clouds ! 

Ye  signs  and  wonders  of  the  elements  I 

Utter  forth  "  God ! "   and  fill  the  hills  with  'prb.ise. 

Once  more,  hoar  mount !  with  thy  sky-pointing  peak, 
Oft  from  whose  feet  the  avalanche,  unheard, 
Shoots  downward,  glittering  through  the  pure  serine,' 
Into  the  depth  of  clouds  that  veil  thy  breast — 
Thhii,  too,  again,  stupendous  mountain!   thou. 
That,  as  I  raise  my  hdad,  awhile  bowed  low 
In  adoration,  upward  from  thy  base 
Slow-traveling  with  dim  eyes  suffused  with  tdars, 
Solemnly  sdemest,  like  a  vapory  clbud, 
To  rise  before  me — rise,  oh,  ever  rise ; 
Rise,  like  a  eloud  of  Incense,  from  the  fearth  ! 
Thou  hingly  S2nrit  throned  among  the  hills, 
Thou  dread  ambassador  from  earth  to  heaven. 
Great  hlerarch  I  tell  thou  the  silent  sky, 
And  tell  Xhe,  stars,  and  tell  yon  rising  sun, 
Edrth,  \\\\j\\  her  thousand  voices,  jprdises  God  ! 

Coleridge. 


362  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

14.     MOENING  HYMK 

[This  ^^Mce   is  characterized    hy  slow    movement,   median  stress,    and 
orotund  quality.'] 

These  are  thy  gldrious  vjorks,  Parent  of  good, 

Almighty  !     Thine  this  universal  frhme, 

Thus  wondrous  fair ;  Thyself  how  wondrous  then  ! 

Unspeakable,  who  sit'st  above  these  heavens  ^ 

To  us  invisible,  or  dimly  seen 

In  these  thy  lowest  works ;  yet  these  declare 

Thy  goodness  beyond  thought^  and  power  divine. 

Speak,  ye  who  best  can  tell,  ye  sons  of  light, 

Angels;    for  ye  behold  him,  and  with  songs 

And  choral  symphonies,  day  without  night, 

Circle  his  throne  rejbieing ;  ye,  in  Heaven, 

On  earth,  join  till  ye  creatures,  to  extol 

'Riva  first,  him  last,  him.  midst,  and  luithoict  end. 

Fairest  of  stars,  last  in  the  train  of  night. 

If  better  thou  belong  not  to  the  dawn, 

Sure  pledge  of  day,  that  crown'st  the  smiling  morn 

With  thy  bright  circlet,  praise  him  in  thy  sphdre, 

While  dhy  arises,  that  sweet  hour  of  prime. 

Thou  Sun,  of  this  great  world  both  eye  and  soid, 

Acknowledge  him  thy  greater ;    sound  his  praise 

In  thy  eternal  eourse,  both  when  thou  climUst, 

And  when  high  noon  hast  gained,  and  when  thou  fhlVst, 

Mhon,  that  now  meet'st  the  orient  Sun,  now  fly'st. 

With  ihQ  fixed  sthrs,  fixed  in  their  orb  that  flies; 

And  ye  five  other  wandering  fires,  that  move 

In  mystic  dance  not  without  song,  resound 

His  praise,  who  "out  of  darkness  called  up  light. 

Air,  and  ye  elements,  the  eldest  birth 

Of  Nature's  womb,  that  in  quaternion  run, 

Perpetual  eirele,  multiform ;  and  mix 

And  nourish  all  things ;  let  your  ceaseless  change 

Vary  to  our  great  Maker  still  nevj  prhise. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  363 

Ye  mists  and  exhalMions,  that  now  rise 

From  hill  or  steaming  lake,  diisky  or  gray, 

Till  the  sun  paint  your  fleecy  skirts  with  gold, 

In  honor  to  the  world's  great  Author  rise; 

Whether  to  deck  with  clouds  the  uncolored  sky, 

Or  wet  the  thirsty  eartli  with  falling  showers, 

Eising  or  falling,  still  advance  his  yraisc. 

His  praise,  ye  ivlnds,  that  from  four  quarters  blow, 

Breathe  soft  or  loud;   and  wave  your  tops,  ye_2^^7^c5, 

With  every  plant,  in  sign  of  lubrshijo,  wave. 

Foiintains,  and  ye  that  warble  as  ye  flow, 

Melddious  mii7iiiurs,  warbling,  tune  his  j)^^^ise. 

Join  voices  dill,  ye  living  sbids :   ye  Inrds, 

That  singing,  up  to  heaven's  gate  ascend, 

Bear  on  your  wings  and  in  your  notes  his  lor disc. 

Milton. 


15.     THANATOPSIS. 

\As  a  'preliminary  exercise,  let  'pii'pils  name  all  the  phrases  and 
clauses,  and  tell  what  each  modifies;  also,  call  on  them  to  j)arse  the 
more  difficult  ivords.  The  reading  of  this  poem  is  characterized  hj 
slow  movement,  median  stress,  and  orotund  quality.] 

To  him  I  who  |  in  the  love  of  Nature  \  holds 
Communion  |  with  her  visible  forms,  she  speaks  | 
A  various  language ;  for  his  gayer  hours  | 
She  has  a  voice  of  glddness,  and  a  smile 
And  eloquence  of  bfeauty,  and  she  glides  | 
Into  his  darker  musings  with  a  mild  | 
And  healing  sympathy,  that  steals  away 
Their  sharpness  |  ere  he  is  aware.     When  thoughts  | 
Of  the  last  bitter  hour  |  come  like  a  blight  | 
Over  thy  spirit,  and  sad  images  | 
Of  the  stern  agony,  and  shrdud,  and  pall, 
And  breathless  darkness,  and  the  narrow  hduse. 
Make  thee  to  shudder  \  and  grow  sick  at  heartt 


364  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Go  forth  I  under  the  open  sky,  and  list 

To  Nhture's  teachings ;  while  from  all  around — 

Earth  and  her  ludters,  and  the  depths  of  air — 

Comes  I  a  still  voice : — Yet  a  few  days  }  and  thee  \ 

The  all-beholding  sun  \  shall  see  no  more  [ 

In  all  his  course;  nor  yet  [  in  the  cold  grSmid, 

Where  thy  pale  form  |  was  laid  with  many  tears, 

Nor  in  the  embrace  of  bceaii,  shall  exist  | 

Thy  \magc.     Earth,  that  nourished  thee,  shall  clctim 

Thy  growth,  to  be  resolved  to  earth  again; 

And,  lost  each  human  trace,  surrendering  up 

Thine  individual  bding,  shalt  thou  go  | 

To  mix  forever  with  tlie  elements, 

To  be  a  brother  |  to  the  insensible  rock  \ 

And  to  the  sluggish  clod,  which  the  rude  swain  | 

Turns  with  his  share,  and  treads  upon.     The  oak 

Shall  send  his  roots  abroad,  and  pierce  thy  mold. 

Yet  not  to  thine  eternal  resting-place  1 
Shalt  thou  retire  alone — nor  could'st  thou  wish  \ 
Couch  mdre  magnificent.     Thou  shalt  lie  down  | 
With  patriarchs  |  of  the  infant  whrld — with  kings, 
The  ^oiverfid  of  the  larfJi — the  vhse,  the  good, 
Fair  forms,  and  hoary  seers  of  ages  fast. 
All  I  in  one  mighty  sepulcher.     The  Mils, 
Eock-ribbed  and  ancient  as  the  sun;    the  vales, 
Stretching  in  pensive  quietness  between ; 
The  venerable  vjoods ;   rivers,  that  move 
In  majesty ;    and  tlie  complaining  hrooks. 
That  make  the  meadows  green;  and,  poured  round  all 
Old  oceans  gray  and  melancholy  waste — 
Are  but  the  solemn  deeorhtions  \  dll  | 
Of  the  great  toinh  of  man!     The  golden  sun. 
The  'plhnets,  all  the  infinite  host  of  heaven. 
Are  shining  on  the  sad  abodes  of  death. 
Through  the  still  lapse  of  ages.     All  that  triad 
The  globe  |  are  but  a  hhndfid  \  to  the  tribes 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  365 

That  slumber  in  its  hbsom.     Take  the  wings 

Of  morning,  and  the  Barcan  desert  piferce, 

Or  lose  thyself  |  in  the  continuous  woods  | 

Where  rolls  the  Oregon,  and  hears  no  sound  | 

Save  his  own  dashings — yet  |  the  dead  |  are  thfere; 

And  millions  \  in  those  solitudes,  since  hrst 

The  flight  of  years  began,  have  laid  them  down  | 

In  their  last  slfeep :   the  dead  |  reign  there  |  alone ! 

So  shalt  thou  rest ;   and  what  if  thou  withdraw  | 

Unheeded  by  the  living,  and  no  friend  \ 

Take  note  of  thy  departure !     All  that  hreathe  \ 

Will  share  thy  destiny.     The  gay  \  will  laugh 

When  thou  art  gone,  the  solemn  brood  of  care  | 

Plod  on,  and  each  one,  as  hcfbre,  will  chase 

His  favorite  pJidntom ;   yet  all  these  \  shall  leave 

Their  mirth  and  their  employments,  and  shall  come  | 

And  make  their  bed  |  with  thee.     As  the  long  train 

Of  ages  glides  away,  the  sons  of  mdn — 

The  yduth  \  in  life's  green  spring,  and  he  who  goes  | 

In  the  full  strength  of  years,  mdtro7i  and  maid. 

The  bowed  with  age,  the  Infant  \  in  the  smiles  | 

And  beauty  of  its  innocent  age  |  cut  off — 

Shall  I  one  by  one  |  be  gathered  to  thy  side  | 

By  those  |  who  in  their  tiirn  |  shall  follow  them. 

So  live,  that  when  thy  summons  |  comes  to  join  | 
The  innumerable  caravan  |  that  moves  | 
To  that  mysterious  realm  where  each  shall  take 
His  chamber  |  in  the  silent  halls  of  d^ath, 
Thou  go,  not  like  the  quarry-slave  at  night, 
Scourged  to  his  dungeon ;  but,  sustained  and  soothed  | 
By  an  unfaltering  trust,  approach  thy  grave  | 
Like  one  who  wraps  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
About  him,  and  lies  down  |  to  pleasant  dreams. 

Bryant. 


366  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

16.     ELEGY  WEITTEN   IN  A  COUNTEY 
CHUECHYAED. 

1. 

The  cihrfciv  \  tolls  the  knell  |  of  parting  day ; 

The  lowing  Mrd  \  winds  slowly  |  o'er  the  lea; 
The  ]pl6wman  \  homeward  |  plods  his  weary  wdi/y 

And  leaves  tlie  world  \  to  darkness  |  and  to  me. 

2. 
Now  fades  I  the  glimmering  landscape  \  on  the  sight, 

And  all  the  air  \  a  solemn  stillness  \  holds, 
Save  where  the  beetle  \  wheels  his  droning  flight, 

And  drowsy  tinUings  \  lull  the  distant /o/c^s; 

3. 

Save  I  that  from  yonder  |  ivy-mantled  tower. 

The  moping  owl  |  does  to  the  moon  |  complain  | 

Of  such  as,  w^and'ring  near  her  secret  bower. 
Molest  her  ancient,  solitary  rfeign. 

4. 

Beneath  those  rugged  ^Ims,  that  yew-tree*s  sh^de. 
Where  heaves  the  turf  |  in  many  a  moldering  heap, 

Each  I  in  his  narrow  cell  |  forever  laid. 

The  rude  fdrefathers  \  of  the  hamlet  \  sleep. 

.    5. 
The  breezy  edll  \  of  incense-breathing  morn. 

The  siodlloiv  \  twittering  |  from  the  straws-built  sh^d. 
The  cock's  shrill  clarion,  or  the  echoing  horn, 

No  more  |  shall  rouse  th^m  |  from  their  lowly  bed. 

6. 
For  them  |  no  more  the  blazing  hearth  \  shall  biirn, 

Or  busy  housewife  \  ply  her  evening  care ; 
No  children  \  run  |  to  lisp  their  sire's  return, 

Or  climb  his  knees  I  the  envied  hiss  I  to  share. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  367 

7. 
Oft  did  the  harvest  \  to  their  sickle  \  yield, 

Their  furrow  \  oft  |  the  stubborn  gVebe  \  has  broke  ; 
How  jocund  \  did  they  drive  their  team  a-fifeld ! 

How  bowed  |  the  loootls  \  beneath  their  sturdy  sirohe ! 

8. 

Let  not  Ambition  |  mock  their  useful  toil, 
Their  homely  joys,  and  destiny  |  obscure; 

Nor  Grandeur  |  hear  |  with  a  disdainful  smile  | 
The  short  |  and  simple  annals  |  of  the  poor. 

9. 

The  boast  of  MroMry,  the  pomp  of  pdiver, 

And  all  that  hemUy,  all  that  ivcdlth  \  e'er  gave. 

Await  I  alike  |  the  inevitcible  hour : 

The  paths  of  glory  \  lead  |  but  to  the  grave. 

10. 
N"or  you,  ye  proiid,  impute  to  these  the  fault. 

If  Memory  |  o'er  their  tomb  |  no  trophies  raise, 
Where,  through  the  long-drawn  aisle  |  and  fretted  vault. 

The  pealing  dntliem  \  swells  the  note  [  of  praise. 

11. 

Can  storied  lirn,  or  animated  hiist, 

Back  to  its  mansion  |  call  the  fleeting  breath  ? 
Can  Hdnors  voice  |  provoke  the  silent  d'dsty 

Or  Fldttery  soothe  |  the  dull,  cold  ear  |  of  Death  ? 

12. 

Perhaps  in  this  neglected  spot  |  is  |  laid  | 

Some  heart  \  once  pregnant  |  with  celestial  fire — 

Hands  \  that  the  rod  of  hnpire  \  might  have  swayed, 
Or  waked  to  ecstasy  \  the  living  lyre : 


368  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


But  Knowledge  \  to  their  eyes  |  her  ample  page, 
Eich  with  the  spoils  of  time,  did  ne'er  unroll ; 

Chill  Penury  \  repressed  their  noble  rage, 
And  froze  the  genial  current  \  of  the  soul. 

14 

Full  many  a  geyn  \  of  purest  ray  serene  | 
The  dark,  unfathomed  caves  of  ocean  \  bear; 

Full  many  a  flbiver  \  is  born  to  blush  unsden. 
And  waste  |  its  svjeetness  \  on  the  desert  air. 

15. 

Some  village  Hampden,  that,  with  dauntless  breast. 
The  little  tyrant  |.  of  his  fields  |  withstood ; 

Some  mute,  inglorious  Milton  \  here  may  rest — 
Some  Cromwell,  guiltless  of  his  country's  blood. 

16. 
The  applause  |  of  listening  senates  \  to  command, 

The  threats  |  of  pain  and  ruin  |  to  despise. 
To  scatter  iMnty  \  o'er  a  smiling  land, 

And  read  their  history  \  in  a  nation's  eyes, 

17. 

Their  lot  \forhade;   nor  circumscribed  |  alone  | 
Their  growing  virtues,  but  their  cririies  confined ; 

Forbade  to  wade  |  through  slaughter  |  to  a  throne, 
And  shut  the  gates  |  of  mercy  \  on  mankind ; 

18. 

The  struggling  pangs  |  of  conscious  truth  \  to  hide. 
To  quench  the  blushes  of  ingenuous  shame, 

Or  heap  the  shrine  of  Luxury  and  Pride  | 
With  incense  I  kindled  at  the  Muses  flame. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  369 

19. 
Far  from  tlie  madding  crowd's  |  ignoble  strife, 

Their  sober  wishes  \  never  learned  to  stray ; 
Along  the  cool,  sequestered  vale  |  of  life  | 

They  kept  the  noiseless  tdnor  |  of  their  way. 

20. 

Yet  e'en  these  hones  \  from  insult  to  protect, 

Some  frail  memorial  I  still  erected  niuh, 
With  uncouth  rhymes  \  and  shapeless  sculpture  \  decked, 

Implores  the  passing  tribute  \  of  a  sigh. 

21. 

Their  name,  their  ydars,  spelt  by  the  unlettered  Muse, 

The  place  of  fame  \  and  elegy  \  supply ; 
And  many  a  holy  text  \  around  she  straws, 

That  teach  the  rustic  moralist  \  to  die, 

22. 

For  who,  to  dumb  forgetfulness  |  a  prdy, 
This  pleasing,  anxious  heing  \  e'er  resigned, 

Left  the  warm  precincts  [  of  the  cheerful  day, 
I^or  cast  I  one  longing ,  lingering  looh  |  hehlnd  ? 

23. 

On  some  fond  breast  \  the  parting  sbid  \  relies. 
Some  pious  di^ops  \  the  closing  eye  requires  ; 

E'en  from  the  totnb  \  the  voice  of  JSTature  |  cries, 
E'en  in  our  ashes  \  live  |  their  wonted  fires. 

24. 

For  thde,  who,  mindful  of  tlie  unhonored  ddad, 
Dost  I  in  these  lines  |  their  artless  tale  |  relate, 

If  chance,  by  lonely  contemplation  Idd, 

Some  kindred  spiint  \  shall  inquire  thy  fate — 


370  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

25. 

Haply  I  some  lioaiy-1  leaded  swain  |  may  say : 
"  Oft  have  we  seen  him,  at  the  peep  of  dawn. 

Brushing  with  hasty  steps  |  the  dews  away, 
To  meet  thie  siln  \  upon  tlie  upland  lawn. 

26. 

"  There,  at  the  foot  |  of  yonder  nodding  beech, 
That  wreathes  its  old,  fantastic  roots  so  hioh, 

His  listless  Idngtli  |  at  noontide  |  would  he  stvdtch, 
And  pore  upon  the  brook  |  that  babbles  by. 

27.. 
"  Hard  by  yon  vjood,  now  smiling  |  as  in  scorn. 

Muttering  his  wayward  fancies,  he  would  rove ; 
I^ow  drooping,  woful-wan,  like  one  forlorn. 

Or  crazed  with  care,  or  crossed  in  hopeless  love. 

28. 

"  One  morn  |  I  missed  him  [  on  the  'customed  hill. 
Along  the  hdath,  and  near  his  favorite  tr4e ; 

Another  \  came,  nor  yet  beside  the  rill, 

Nor  up  the  Idion,  nor  at  the  icoocl  \  was  he ; 

29. 
"  The  n^xt,  with  dirges  due,  in  sad   array. 

Slow  I  through  the  church-way  path  |  we  saw  him  borne  : 
Approach  and  rdad  |  (for  tJiou  canst  rdad)  |  the  lay  | 

Graved  on  the  stone  |  beneath  yon  aged  thorn." 

THE   EPITAPH. 

Here  \  rests  his  head  \  upon  the  lap  of  earth, 
A  yoiith  I  to  Fortune  \  and  to  Fame  \  itnknbivn ; 

Fair  Science  \  frowned  not  |  on  his  humble  hirth, 
And  Melancholy  \  marked  him  |  for  her  own. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  371 

31. 

Large  \  was  his  hoitnty,  and  his  soid  \  sincere  ; 

Heaven  \  did  a  recompense  |  as  largely  send : 
He  gave  to  rnisery — all  he  had-— a  tear; 

He  gained  from  Heaven — 'twas  all  he  wished — ^friend. 


JN'o  further  seek  |  his  mh'its  \  to  disclose, 

Or  draw  his  frailties  \  from  their  dread  abode 

(There  |  they  alike  |  in  trembling  liope  |  repose) — 
The  hosom  \  of  his  Father  \  and  his  God. 

Thomas  Gray. 


17.     DANIEL  WEBSTER. 

1.  When  life  hath  run  its  largest  round  | 

Of  toil  and  triumph,  joy  and  woe, 

How  brief  |  a  storied  page  is  found  | 

To  compass  all  its  outward  show ! 

2.  The  world-tried  sailor  tires  and  droops; 

His  Hag  is  rdnt,  his  keel  forgot; 
His  farthest  voyages  |  seem  but  loops  | 
That  float  |  from  life's  entangled  knot. 

3.  But  when  within  tlie  narrov/  space  | 

Some  larger  soul  hath  lived  and  wrought. 
Whose  sight  |  was  open  to  embrace  | 

The  boundless  realms  |  of  deed  and  thought,- 

4.  When,  stricken  by  the  freezing  blast, 

A  nation's  living  pillars  fall. 
How  rich  |  the  storied  page,  how  vast, 
A  w^ord,  a  whisper,  can  recall  I 

5.  No  medal  |  lifts  its  fretted  face, 

Nor  speaking  marble  |  cheats  your  eye, 


372  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Yet,  while  these  pictured  lines  I  trdce, 
A  living  Image  \  passes  by : 

6.  A  roof  I  beneath  the  mountain  pines ; 

Tlie  cloisters  |  of  a  hill-girt  plain ; 
The  front  of  life's  embattled  lines ; 
A  mound  |  beside  the  heaving  main. 

7.  Th^se  I  are  the  scenes:  a  hoy  appears; 

Set  life's  round  dial  |  in  the  siin, 
Count  the  swift  arc  |  of  seventy  years, 
His  frame  |  is  dust ;   his  task  |  is  done. 

8.  Yet  pause  upon  the  noontide  hour, 

Ere  the  declining  sun  |  has  laid  | 
His  bleaching  rays  |  on  manhood's  power, 
And  look  upon  the  mighty  shade. 

9.  ^0  gloom  1  that  stately  shape  can  hide, 

No  change  |  uncrown  its  brow ;  behold  ! 
Dark,  calm,  large-fronted,  lightning-eyed, 
Earth  has  no  double  |  from  its  mold. 

10.  Ere  from  the  fields  |  by  valor  w^on  | 

The  battle-smoke  |  had  rolled  away, 
And  bared  the  blood-red  setting  siin, 
His  eyes  |  were  opened  on  the  day. 

11.  His  land  |  was  but  a  shelving  strip  | 

Black  I  with  the  strife  |  that  made  it  frde; 
He  lived  |  to  see  its  banners  dip  | 
Their  fringes  |  in  the  western  sfea. 

12.  The  boundless  prairies  \  learned  his  name, 

His  words  |  the  mountain  eclioes  knew, 
The  northern  brdezes  |  swept  his  fame  | 
From  icy  lake  |  to  warm  bayoii. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTIOI^.  373 

13.  Ill  toil  I  he  lived;  in  p^ace  |  he  died; 

When  life's  full  cycle  was  complete, 
Put  off  his  robes  of  power  and  pride, 
And  laid  them  |  at  his  Master's  ffeet. 

14.  His  rest  |  is  by  the  storm-swept  waves  | 

Whom  life's  wild  tempests  |  roughly  tried, 
Whose  heart  |  was  like  the  streaming  caves  | 
Of  ocean,  throbbing  at  his  side. 

15.  Death's  cold  white  hand  |  is  like  the  snow  | 

Laid  softly  |  on  the  furrowed  hill — 
It  hides  the  broken  seams  below, 

And  leaves  the  summit  |  brighter  still. 

16.  In  vain  the  envious  tongue  upbraids ; 

His  name  |  a  nation's  heart  shall  kdep  | 
Till  morning's  latest  sunlight  fades  | 

On  the  blue  tablet  |  of  the  dfeep  I  holmes. 


18.     ST.   AUGUSTINE'S   LADDER. 

1.  Saint  Augustine!  well  hast  thou  said, 

That  I  of  our  vices  |  we  can  frame  | 
A  ladder,  if  we  will  but  tread  | 

Beneath  our  feet  |  each  deed  of  shame ! 

2.  All  common  things,  each  day's  events. 

That  I  with  the  hour  |  begin  and  end, 
Our  pleasures  |  and  our  discontents. 

Are  rounds  \  by  which  |  we  may  ascfend. 

3.  The  low  desire,  tlie  base  design. 

That  makes  another's  virtues  |  Idss  ; 
The  revel  |  of  tlie  ruddy  wine. 
And  all  occasions  ]  of  excess ; 


374  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

4.  The  lodging  |  for  ignoble  tilings 

The  strife  |  for  triumph  |  more  than  triith ; 
The  hardening  of  the  heart,  that  brings  | 
Irreverence  |  for  the  dreams  of  youth; 

5.  All  thoughts  of  ill;  all  evil  ddeds, 

That  have  their  root  \  in  thoughts  of  ill; 
Whatever  hinders  |  or  impedes  ] 
The  action  |  of  the  noble  will; — 

6.  All  these  |  must  first  |  be  trampled  down  | 

Beneath  our  feet,  if  we  would  gain  | 
In  the  bright  fields  |  of  fair  renown  | 
The  right  |  of  eminent  domain. 

7.  We  have  not  wings,  we  can  not  soar; 

But  w^e  have  feet  |  to  scale  and  climb, 
By  slow  degrees,  by  more  and  more. 
The  cloudy  summits  |  of  our  time. 

8.  The  distant  mountains,  that  uprear  | 

Their  solid  bastions  |  to  the  skies, 
Are  crossed  |  by  pathways,  that  appear  | 
As  w^e  I  to  higher  levels  \  rise. 

9.  The  heights  \  by  great  men  |  reached  and  kept  | 

Were  not  attained  |  by  sudden  fliglit. 
But  they,  wdiile  their  companions  sldpt. 
Were  toiling  upward  |  in  the  niglit. 

10.  Standing  |  on  what  \  too  long  |  we  bore  | 

With  shoulders  bent  |  and  downcast  eyes. 
We  may  discern — unseen  before — 
A  path  1  to  higher  destinies; 

11.  Nor  deem  the  irrevocable  Past  | 

As  wholly  wasted,  wholly  vain. 
If,  rising  on  its  wT^cks,  at  last  | 

To  something  nobler  1  we  attain.         Longfellow. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  375 

19.      EING   OUT,  WILD   BELLS. 

[This  extract  shoidd  be  read  with  radical  and  median  stress,  strong 
force,  and  strongly  contrasted  inflections.  Let  the  class  mark  for  em- 
2)hasis  and  inflection^'] 

1.  liiDg  out,  wild  bells,  to  the  wild  sky, 

The  flying  cloud,  the  frosty  light; 
The  year  is  dying  in  the  night; 
Eing  out,  wild  bells,  and  let  him  die. 

2.  Eing  out  the  old,  ring  in  the  new, 

Eing,  happy  bells,  across  the  snow ; 
The  year  is  going ;  let  him  go ; 
Eing  out  the  false,  ring  in  the  true. 

3.  Eing  out  the  grief  that  saps  the  mind, 

For  those  that  here  w^e  see  no  more; 
Eing  out  the  feud  of  rich  and  poor, 
Eing  in  redress  to  all  mankind. 

4.  Eing  out  a  slowly  dying  cause. 

And  ancient  forms  of  party  strife, 
Eing  in  the  nobler  modes  of  life. 
With  sweeter  manners,  purer  laws. 

5.  Eing  out  the  want,  the  care,  the  sin, 

The  faithless  coldness  of  tlie  times ; 
Eing  out,  ring  out  my  mournful  rhymes, 
But  rino:  the  fuller  minstrel  in. 

6.  Eing  out  false  pride,  in  place  and  blood, 

The  civic  slander  and  the  spite ; 
Eing  in  the  love  of  truth  and  right, 
Eing  in  the  common  love  of  good. 

7.  Eing  out  old  shapes  of  foul  disease, 

Eing  out  tlie  narrowing  lust  of  gold, 
Eing  out  the  thousand  w^oes  of  old, 
Eing  in  the  thousand  years  of  peace. 


376  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

8.   Eing  in  the  valiant  man  and  free, 

The  larger  heart,  the  kindlier  hand; 
Eing  out  tlie  darkness  of  the  land, 
Eing  in  the  Christ  that  is  to  be.  tennyson. 


20.     SUMMEE  EAIK 

[This  extract  sJiouId  he  read  ivith  varying  degrees  of  forcc^  and 
icith  the  radical  stress^  ranging  from  unim passioned  to  emotional. 
The   last   two   stanzas   afford   scope  for    *' imitative    expression."] 

1.  Now  on  the  hills  I  hear  the  thunder  mutter; 

The  wind  is  gathering  in  the  west; 
The  upturned  leaves  first  whiten  and  flutter. 

Then  droop  to  a  fitful  rest; 
Up  from  the  stream  witli  sluggish  flap 

Struggles  the  gull,  and  floats  away; 
Nearer  and  nearer  rolls  the  thunder-clap; 

We  shall  not  see  the  sun  go  down  to-day. 
Now  leaps  the  wind  on  the  sleepy  marsh, 

And  tramples  the  grass  with  terrified  feet; 
The  startled  river  turns  leaden  and  harsh — 

You  can  hear  the  quick  heart  of  the  tempest  beat. 

2.  Look!  look!— that  livid  flash! 

And  instantly  follows  the  rattling  thunder, 
As  if  some  cloud-crag,  split  asunder. 

Fell,  splintering  with  a  ruinous  crash. 
On  the  earth,  which  crouches  in  silence  under; 

And  now  a  solid  gray  wall  of  rain 
Shuts  off  the  landscape,  mile  by  mile. 

For  a  breath's  space  I  see  the  blue  wood  again, 
And,  ere  the  next  heart-beat,  the  wind-hurled  pile. 

That  seemed  but  now  a  league  aloof, 

Bursts  rattling  over  the  sun-parched  roof. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  377 

Against  the  windows  tlie  storm  comes  dashing; 
Through  tattered  foliage  the  hail  tears  crashing; 
The  blue  lightning  flashes ; 
The  rapid  hail  clashes ; 

The  white  waves  are  tumbling ; 
And,  in  one  baffled  roar, 

Like  the  toothless  sea  mumbling 
A  rock-bristled  shore. 

The  thunder  is  rumbling, 

And  crashing,  and  crumbling — 
Will  silence  return  never  more?  lowfti 


21.     HYMN^  TO   THE  NOETH   STAR 

[The  reading  of  this  poem  will  he  characterized  hy  slow  movement, 
median  stress,    orotund  quality,    and  middle  key.] 

1. 

The  sad  and  solemn  night 
Hath  yet  her  multitude  |  of  cheerful /^r^s ; 

The  glorious  host  of  light  | 
Walk  the  dark  atmosphere  |  till  she  retires ; 
All  through  her  silent  watches,  gliding  slow, 
Her  constellations  cdme,  and  climb  the  Mavens,  and  go. 

2. 
Bay,  too,  hath  many  a  star  \ 
To  grace  his  gorgeous  reign,  as  bright  as  tlihj : 

Through  the  blue  fields  afar. 
Unseen,  they  follow  in  his  flaming  way: 
Many  a  bright  lingerer,  as  the  eve  grows  dim. 
Tells  what  a  radiant  troop  |  arose  and  set  with  li\m, 

o 
O. 

And  thovj  \  dost  see  them  rise. 
Star  of  the  Pole !  and  tliou  \  dost  see  them  set. 

Alone,  in  thy  cold  skies. 
Thou  keep'st  thy  old  unmoving  station  yet, 


378  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Nor  join'st  the  dances  |  of  that  glittering  train, 

N"or  dipp'st  thy  virgin  orb  |  in  the  blue  -western  main. 

4. 
There,  at  morn's  rosy  birth, 
Thou  lookest  meekly  through  the  kindling-  air, 

And  eve,  that  round  the  Earth  | 
Chases  the  day,  beholds  thee  |  ivdtcJmig  there; 
There  \  noontide  finds  thde,  and  the  hour  that  calls  | 
The  shapes  of  polar  flame  |  to  scale  lieaven's  azure  walls. 

5. 
Alike,  beneath  thine  eye, 
The  deeds  of  darkness  \  and  of  light  \  are  done; 

High  toward  the  starlit  sky  | 
Towns  blaze,  the  smoke  of  battle  blots  the  Siin; 
The  night-storm  on  a  thousand  hills  |  is  loud, 
And  the  strong  wind  of  day  |  doth  mingle  sea  and  cloud. 

6. 

On  tliy  unaltering  blaze  | 
The  half-wrecked  mariner,  his  compass  lost, 

Fixes  his  steady  gaze, 
And  steers,  undoubting,  to  the  friendly  coast ; 
And  they  who  stray  in  perilous  wastes,  by  night, 
Are  glad  when  thou  dost  shine  |  to  guide  their  footsteps 
right. 

7. 
And  therefore  |  bards  of  old. 
Sages  and  hdrmits  of  the  solemn  wood, 

Did  I  in  thy  beams  |  behold  | 
A  beauteous  type  |  of  that  unchanging  good, 
That  bright  |  eternal  beacon,  by  whose  ray  | 
The  voyager  of  time  |  should  shape  his  heedful  way. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  379 

22.     THE  AMERICAN"  FLAG. 

[To    be    read    icUh    declamatory    and    dramatic   force,    radical    and 
thorough  stress,  and  orotund  quality.'] 

1.  When  Freedom  from  her  mountain  height 

Unfurled  her  standard  to  tlie  air, 
She  tore  the  azure  robe  of  night, 

And  set  the  stars  of  glory  there; 
She  mingled  with  its  gorgeous  dyes 
The  milky  baldric  of  the  skies, 
And  striped  its  pure  celestial  wliite 
With  streakings  of  the  morniDg  light; 
Then,  from  his  mansion  in  the  sun, 
She  called  her  eagle-bearer  down. 
And  gave  into  his  mighty  liand 
The  symbol  of  her  chosen  land. 

2.  Majestic  monarch  of  the  cloud  ! 

Who  rear'st  aloft  th}^  regal  form, 
To  hear  the  tempest-trumpings  loud 

And  see  the  lightning  lances  driven, 
When  strive  the  warriors  of  the  storm, 

And  rolls  the  thunder-drum  of  heaven, — 
Child  of  the  Sun !   to  thee  'tis  given 

To  guard  the  banner  of  the  free; 
To  hover  in  the  sulphur-smoke. 
To  ward  away  the  battle-stroke, 
And  bid  its  blendings  shine  afar, 
Like  rainbows  on  the  cloud  of  war — 

The  liarbingers  of  victory  ! 

3.  Flag  of  the  brave !  thy  folds  shall  fly, 
The  sign  of  hope  and  triumph  high, 
When  speaks  the  signal  trumpet  tone. 
And  the  long  line  comes  gleaming  on. 
Ere  yet  the  life-blood,  w^arm  and  w^et. 
Has  dimmed  the  glistening  bayonet. 


380  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

Each  soldier's  eye  shall  brightly  turn 
To  where  thy  sky-born  glories  burn ; 
And,  as  his  springing  steps  advance. 
Catch  war  and  vengeance  from  the  glance ; 
And,  when  the  cannon-mouthings  loud 
Heave  in  wild  wreaths  the  battle-shroud, 
And  gory  sabres  rise  and  fall 
Like  shoots  of  flame  on  midnight's  pall. 
Then  shall  thy  meteor  glances  glow, 

And  cowering  foes  shall  fall  beneath 
Each  gallant  arm  that  strikes  below 

That  lovely  messenger  of  death. 

4.  Flag  of  the  seas !   on  ocean's  wave 
Thy  stars  shall  glitter  o'er  the  brave. 
When  Death,  careering  on  the  gale. 
Sweeps  darkly  round  the  bellied  sail, 
And  frighted  waves  rush  wildly  back^ 
Before  the  broadside's  reeling  rack. 
Each  dying  wanderer  of  the  sea 
Shall  look  at  once  to  heaven  and  thee^ 
And  smile  to  see  thy  splendors  fly. 

In  triumph,  o'er  his  closing  eye. 

5.  Flag  of  the  free  heart's  only  home, 

By  angel  hands  to  valor  given. 
Thy  stars  have  lit  the  welkin  dome. 

And  all  thy  hues  w^ere  born  in  heaven. 
Forever  float  that  standard  sheet ! 

Where  breathes  the  foe  but  falls  before  us, 
With  Freedom's  soil  beneath  our  feet, 

And  Freedom's  banner  waving  o'er  us ! 

Drake. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  381 

23.     THE   CHAMBERED   NAUTILUS. 

[TJic  reading  of  this  jjoem  should  he  characterized  by  slow  movement^ 
median  stress^  pure  tone,  aoid  orotund  quality.  To  he  marked  by  the 
class  for  emphasis,  injlection,  and  pauses.] 

1. 

This  is  the  ship  of  pearl,  which,  poets  feign, 

Sails  the  unshadowed  main, — 

The  venturous  bark  that  flings 
On  the  sweet  summer  wind  its  purpled  wings 
In  gulfs  enchanted,  where  the  siren  sings, 

And  coral  reefs  lie  bare. 
Where   the  cold   sea-maids   rise  to  sun   their   streaming 
hair. 

2. 

Its  webs  of  living  gauze  no  more  unfurl; 

"Wrecked  is  the  ship  of  pearl ! 

And  every  chambered  cell, 
Where  its  dim  dreaming  life  was  wont  to  dwell, 
As  the  frail  tenant  shaped  his  growing  shell, 

Before  thee  lies  revealed — 
Its  irised  ceiling  rent,  its  sunless  crypt  unsealed ! 

3. 
Year  after  year  beheld  the  silent  toil 
That  spread  his  lustrous  coil; 
Still,  as  the  spiral  grew. 
He  left  the  past  year's  dwelling  for  the  new, 
Stole  with  soft  step  its  shining  archway  through. 

Built  up  its  idle  door, 
Stretched  in  his  last  found  home,  and  knew  the  old  no 
more. 

4. 
Thanks  for  the  heavenly  message  brought  by  thee, 
Child  of  tlie  wandering  sea, 
Cast  from  her  lap  forlorn! 


382  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

From  thy  dead  lips  a  clearer  note  is  bora 
Than  ever  Triton  blew  from  wreatlidd  horn! 

While  on  my  ear  it  rings, 
Through  the  deep  caves  of  thought  I  hear  a  voice  that 
sings, — 

5. 
Build  thee  more  stately  mansions,  0  my  soul, 

As  the  swift  seasons  roll ! 

Leave  thy  low- vaulted  past ! 
Let  each  new  temple,  nobler  than  the  last, 
Shut  thee  from  heaven  with  a  dome  more  vast, 

Till  thou  at  lengtli  art  free, 
Leaving  thine  outgrown  shell  by  life's  unresting  sea ! 


24     KENTUCKY   BELLE. 

1. 

Summer  of  'sixty-three,  sir,  and  Conrad  was  gone  away, 
Gone  to  the  county-town,  sir,  to  sell  our  first  load  of  hay ; 
We  lived  in  the  log-house   yonder,  poor  as  ever  you've 

seen ; 
Eoschen  there  was  a  baby,  and  I  was  only  nineteen. 

2. 

Conrad,  he  took  the  oxen,  but  he  left  Kentucky  Belle. 

How  much  we  thought  of  Kentuck,  I  could  n't  begin  to 
tell— 

Came  from  the  Blue-Grass  country;  my  father  gave  her 
to  me 

When  I  rode  north  with  Conrad,  av/ay  from  the  Ten- 
nessee. 

3. 

Conrad  lived  in  Ohio,  a  German  he  is,  you  know; 
The  house  stood  in  broad   cornfields,  stretching  on,  row 
after  row. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  383 

The  old  folks  made  me  welcome;  they  were  kind  as 
kind  could  be ; 

Bat  I  kept  longing,  longing,  for  the  hills  of  the  Ten- 
nessee. 

4. 

Oh  !  for  a  sight  of  water,  tlie  shadowed  slope  of  a  hill ! 
Clouds   that    hang  on  the  summit,  a  wind  that  never  is 

still ! 
But    the  level   land  went   stretching   away  to   meet   the 

Kever  a  rise,  from  north  to  south,  to  rest  the  weary  eye ! 

5. 
From  east  to  west,  no  river  to  shine  out  under  the  moon, 
N^othing  to  make  a  shadow  in  the  yellow  afternoon : 
Only  the  breathless  sunshine,  as  I  looked  out,  all  forlorn ; 
Only  the  ''rustle,  rustle,"   as  I  walked  among  the  corn. 

6. 
When  I  fell  sick  with  pining,  we  did  n't  wait  any  more, 
But  moved  away  from  the  corn-lands,  out  to  this  river- 
shore — 
The  Tuscarawas  it's  called,  sir;   off  there's   a  hill,  you 

see ; 
And 'now  I've   grown  to  like  it  next  best  to  the  Ten- 
nessee. 

• 

7. 
I  was   at   work   that   morning.     Some    one   came   riding 

like  mad 
Over  the  bridge  and  up  the  road — Farmer  Eouf's  little 

lad. 
Bareback   he   rode ;   he   had  no  hat ;   he  hardly  stopped 

to  say, 
"  Morgan's  men  are  coming,  Frau ;  they  're  galloping  on 

this  way. 


384  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 


"I'm   sent   to   warn   the   neighbors.      He    isn't   a   mile 

behind ; 
He  sweeps  up  all  the  horses — every  horse  that  he  can 

find. 
Morgan,  Morgan  the  raider,  and  Morgan's  terrible  men, 
With   bowie-knives    and   pistols,   are   galloping    up    the 

glen ! " 

9. 
The  lad  rode  down  the  valley,  and  I  stood  still  at  the 

door ; 
The  baby  laughed   and   prattled,  played  with   spools    on 

the  floor; 
Kentuck  was  out  in  the  pasture;  Conrad,  my  man,  was 

gone. 
]N"ear,  nearer,  Morgan's  men  were  galloping,  galloping  on ! 

10. 
Sudden  I  picked  up  baby,  and  ran  to  the  pasture-bar ; 
"  Kentuck ! "  I  called — ''  Kentucky ! "     She  knew  me  ever 

so  far ! 
I  led  her  down  the  gully  that  turns  off  tliere  to  the  right, 
And  tied  her  to  the  bushes,  her  head  just  out  of  sight. 

11. 

As  I  ran  back  to  the  log  house,  at   once  there   came   a 

sound — 
The   ring   of  hoofs,  galloping   hoofs,  trembling   over   the 

ground — 
Coming  into  the  turnpike  out  from  the  White-Woman 

Glen, 
Morgan,  Morgan  the  raider,  and  Morgan's  terrible  men. 

12. 
As   near  they   drew  and  nearer,  my  heart  beat  fast  in 
alarm ; 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  385 

But  still  I  stood  in  the  door-way,  with  baby  on  my  arm. 
They  came;  they  passed;  with  spur  and  whip  in  haste 

they  sped  along — 
Morgan,  Morgan   the  raider,  and  his  band,  six,  hundred 

strong. 

13. 
Weary  they  looked  and  jaded,  riding  through  night  and 

through  day; 
Pushing  on  east  to  the  river,  many  long  miles  away, 
To  the  border-strip  where  Virginia  runs  up  into  the  west, 
And  fording  the  Upper  Ohio  before  they  could  stop  to  rest. 

14. 

On   like   the   wind   they   hurried,    and   Morgan   rode   in 

advance; 
Bright  were  his  eyes  like  live   coals,  as  he  gave  me   a 

sideways  glance; 
And  I  was  just  breathing  freely,  after  my  choking  pain, 
When  the  last  one  of  the  troopers  suddenly  drew  his  rein. 

15. 

Frightened  I  was  to  death,  sir ;   I  scarce  dared  look  in 

his  face. 
As   he   asked   for  a  drink  of  water,  and  glanced  around 

the  place. 
I   gave   him   a   cup,  and  he  smiled — 'twas   only  a  boy, 

you  see; 
Faint   and   worn,  with  dim-blue   eyes;   and   he'd   sailed 

on  the  Tennessee. 

16. 
Only  sixteen  he  was,  sir — a  fond  mother's  only  son — 
Off  and  away  with   Morgan  before  his  life  had  begun! 
The  damp  drops  stood  on  his   temples;   drawn  was   the 

boyish  mouth; 
And  -I  thought  me  of  the  mother  waiting  down  in  the 

South. 

25 


386  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

17. 

Oh  !  pluck  was  he  to  the  backbone,  and  clear  grit  through 
and  through; 

Boasted  and  bragged  like  a  trooper;  but  the  big  words 
wouldn't  do;  — 

The  boy  w^as  dying,  sir,  dying,  as  plain  as  plain  could  be, 

Worn  out  by  his  ride  with  Morgan  up  from  tlie  Ten- 
nessee. 

18. 
But  w^hen   I   told   the   laddie   that   I   too  was  from  the 

South, 
Water  came   in   his   dim   eyes,  and    quivers    around   his 

mouth. 
"  Do   you   know   the   Blue-Grass   country  ? "   lie    wistful 

began  to  say; 
Then   swayed   like   a   willows-sapling,   and   fainted    dead 

away. 

19. 

I  had  him  into  the  log  house,  and  w^orked  and  brought 

him  to ; 
I  fed  him,  and  I  coaxed  him,  as  I  thought  his  mother 'd 

do; 
And  when  the  lad  got  better,  and  the  noise  in  his  head 

w^as  gone, 
Morgan's  men  were  miles  away,  galloping,  galloping  on. 

20. 
"  Oh,  I  must  go,"  he  muttered ;  ''  I  must  be  up  and  away  ! 
Morgan — Morgan   is   waiting    for   me !      Oh,   what   will 

Morgan  say  ? " 
But  I  heard  a  sound  of   tramping  and  kept  him  back 

from  the  door — 
The   ringing   sound   of  horses'   hoofs   that   I   had   heard 

before. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  387 

21. 

And  on,  on,  came  the  soldiers — the  Michigan  cavahy — 
And   fast   they   rode,  and   black   they   looked,   galloping 

rapidly, — 
They  had   followed   hard   on  Morgan's   track ;   they  had 

followed  day  and  night ; 
But   of  Morgan   and   Morgan's   raiders   they   never   had 

caught  a  sight. 

22. 
And   rich  Ohio  sat   startled   through    all   those   summer 

days ; 
For,  strange,  wild   men  were   galloping   over   her   broad 

highways — 
N'ow  here,  now  there,  now  seen,  now  gone,  now  north, 

now  east,  now  west, 
Through    river-valleys    and    corn-land    farms,    sweeping 

away  her  best. 

23. 
A  bold  ride  and  a  long  ride  !     But  they  were  taken  at 

last. 
They  almost  reached  the  river  by  galloping  hard  and  fast ; 
But   the    boys   in   blue  were   upon  them   ere  ever  they 

gained  the  ford. 
And  Morgan,  Morgan  the  raider,  laid  down  his  terrible 

sword. 

24. 

Well,  I  kept  the  boy  till  evening — kept  him  against 
his  will — 

But  he  was  too  weak  to  follow,  and  sat  there  pale  and 
still. 

When  it  was  cool  and  dusky — you  '11  wonder  to  hear 
me  tell — 

But  I  stole  down  to  that  gully,  and  brought  up  Ken- 
tucky Belle. 


388  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

25. 

I  kissed  the  star  on  her  forehead — my  pretty,  gentle 
lass — 

But  I  knew  that  she  'd  be  happy  back  in  the  old  Blue- 
Grass. 

A  suit  of  clothes  of  Conrad's  with  all  the  money  I  had, 

And  Kentuck,  pretty  Kentuck,  I  gave  to  the  worn-out 
lad. 

26. 

I  guided  him  to  the  southward  as  well  as  I  knew  how  ; 

The  boy  rode  off  with  many  thanks,  and  many  a  back- 
ward bow  ; 

And  then  the  glow  it  faded,  and  my  heart  began  to 
swell. 

As  down  the  glen  away  she  went,  my  lost  Kentucky 
Belle! 

27. 

When  Conrad  came  in  the  evening,  the  moon  was  shin- 
ing high ; 

Baby  and  I  both  were  crying — I  could  n't  tell  him 
why— 

But  a  battered  suit  of  rebel  gray  was  hanging  on  the 
wall, 

And  a  thin,  old  horse'  w^ith  drooping  head,  stood  in 
Kentucky's  stall. 

28. 
Well,  lie  was  kind,  and  never  once  said  a  hard  word  to 

me ; 
He  knew  I  could  n't  help  it — 't  was  all  for  the  Tennessee. 
But,  after  the  war  was    over,  just   think  what  came  to 

pass — 
A  letter,  sir ;   and   the  two  were   safe   back   in  the  old 

Blue-Grass. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  389 

29. 
The  lad  got  over  the  border,  riding  Kentucky  Belle; 
And  Kentuck  she  was  thriving,  and  fat,  and  hearty,  and 

well; 
He   cared   for  her  and  kept  her,  nor  touched   her  with 

whip  or  spur. 
Ah  I   we  've  had   many  horses   since,  but  never  a  horse 

like  her ! 

Constance  F.  Woolson. 


25.     THE   CHAECOAL  MAK 

1.  Though  rudely  blows  the  wintry  blast, 
And  sifting  snows  fall  white  and  fast, 
Mark  Haley  drives  along  the  street, 
Perched  high  upon  his  w^agon  seat; 
His  somber  face  the  storm  defies, 

And  thus  from  morn  till  eve  he  cries, — 

*^  Chared  !   chared  I  " 
While  echo  faint  and  far  replies, — 

''  Harh  Of   Hark,  0  T' 
"  Chared!  " — ''  Hark,  0  !  " — Such  cheery  sounds 
Attend  him  on  his  daily  rounds. 

2.  The  dust  begrimes  his  ancient  hat; 
His  coat  is  darker  far  than  that ; 
'T  is  odd  to  see  his  sooty  form 

All  speckled  w^ith  the  feathery  storm  ; 

Yet  in  his  honest  bosom  lies 

Nor  spot  nor  speck,— though  still  he  cries, — 

''Chared!  cliared!'' 
And  many  a  roguish  lad  replies, — 

''Ark,  ho  !   ark,  ho!'' 
"  Chared !''—"  Ark,  Jio  ! '' — Such  various  sounds 
Announce  Mark  Haley's  morning  rounds. 


390  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

3.  Thus  all  the  cold  and  wintry  day 
He  labors  much  for  little  pay ; 
Yet  feels  no  less  of  happiness 
Than  many  a  richer  man,  I  guess, 
When  through  the  shades  of  eve  he  spies 
The  light  of  liis  own  liome,  and  cries, — 

"  Chared!   chared!  " 
And  Martha  from  the  door  replies,- — 

''Mark,  ho!   Mark,  ho!'' 
"  Chared!'' — Marky  ho  !" — Such  joy  abounds 
When  he  has  closed  his  daily  rounds. 

4.  The  hearth  is  warm,  the  fire  is  bright ; 

And  while  his  hand,  washed  clean  and  white, 
Holds  Martha's  tender  hand  once  more, 
His  glowing  face  bends  fondly  o'er 
The  crib  wherein  his  darling  lies, 
And  in  a  coaxing  tone  he  cries, 

/'Chared!   chared!" 
And  baby  with  a  laugh  replies, — 

"  Ah,  go  !   ah,  go  !  " 
''  Chared!  " — "  Ah,  go  !  " — while  at  the  sounds 
The  mother's  heart  with  gladness  bounds.' 

5.  Then  honored  be  the  charcoal  man  ! 
Though  dusky  as  an  African, 

'Tis  not  for  you,  that  chance  to  be 
A  little  better  clad  than  he. 
His  honest  manhood  to  despise, 
Although  from  morn  till  eve  he  cries, — 

'[  Chared !   chared !  " 
While  mocking  echo  still  replies, — 

''  Hai^,  6  !  hark,  0  !  " 
"  Chared!  " — ''  Hark,  0  !  " — Long  may  the  sounds 
Proclaim  Mark  Haley's  daily  rounds.     Trowbridge. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  391 

26.    GEANDMOTHEE'S  STOEY  OF  BUNKEE  HILL. 

[The  sjnritcd  rendering  of  this  grc(2yhic  2>icture  affords  a  wide  scope 
for  variety  of  expression.     Care  must  he  taken  not  to  overdo  it.] 

1. 

'T  is   like    stirring    living   embers    when,   at   eighty,    one 

remembers 
All   the  achings  and   the  quakings   of  "  the   times   that 

tried  men's  souls"; 
When  I  talk  of  Whig  and  Torij,  when  I  tell  the  Behel 

story, 
To  you  the  words  are  ashes,  but  to  me  they're  burning 

coals. 

2. 

I  had   heard   the   muskets*  rattle  of  the  April   running 

-       battle; 

Lord  Percy's  liunted  soldiers,  I  can  see  their  red  coats 

still ; 
But  a  deadly  chill  comes  o'er  me,  as  the  day  looms  up 

before  me. 
When  a   thousand   men   lay   bleeding  on   the   slopes   of 

Bunker's  Hill. 

3. 

'T  was   a    peaceful    summer's    morning,   when    the    first 

thing  gave  us  warning 
Was  the  booming  of  the  cannon  from  the  river  and  the 

shore : 
"Child,"  says  grandma,  "what's  the  matter,  what  is  all 

this  noise  and  clatter? 
Have  tliose  scalping   Indian   devils  come  to  murder  us 

once  more  V* 

4. 
Poor  old  soul !   my  sides  w^ere  shaking  in  the  midst  of 

all  my  quaking, 
To  hear  her  talk  of  Indians  when  the  sjuns  besjan  to  roar ; 


392  »SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

She    had    seen   the   burning   village,   and   the    slaughter 

and  the  pillage, 
When  the  Mohawks  killed  her  father  with  their  bullets 

throuGjh  his  door. 


Then  I  said,  ''  Now,  dear  old  granny,  do  n't  you  fret  and 

worry  any. 
For  I  '11  soon  come  back  and   tell  you  whether  this  is 

work  or  play; 
There    can't   be   mischief  in   it,   so  I   won't  be   gone   a 

minute" — 
For  a  minute  then  I  started.     I  was  gone  the  livelong 

day. 

6. 
'No  time  for  bodice-lacing  or  for  looking-glass  grimacing; 
Down   my  hair   went   as   I   hurried,  tumbling   half-way 

to  my  heels  ; 
God    forbid    your    ever    knowing,    when    there's    blood 

around  her  flowing. 
How  the  lonely,  helpless  daughter  of  a  quiet  household 

feels! 

.    ^.     ■  7. 

In   the  street  I  heard  a  thumping;   and  I  knew  it  was 

the  stumping 
Of  the  Corporal,  our  old  neighbor,  on  that  wooden  leg 

he  w^ore, 
With  a  knot  of  women  round  liim, — it  was  lucky  I  had 

;    found  him, 
So  I  followed  with  the  others,  and  the  Corporal  marched 
before. 


They  were  making  for  the  steeple,^the  old  soldier  and 
-  his=  people: 


BCHOOL    ELOGUTIOX.  393 

The  pigeons  circled  round  us  as  we  climbed  the  creak- 
ing stair, 

Just  across  the  narrow  river — 0,  so  close  it  made  me 
shiver!  — 

Stood  a  fortress  on  the  hill-top  that  but  yesterday  was 
bare. 

9. 

Not  slow  our  eyes  to  find  it;  well  we  knew  who  stood 
behind  it, 

Though  the  earthwork  hid  them  from  us,  and  the  stub- 
born walls  were  dumb : 

Here  were  sister,  wife,  and  mother,  looking  wild  upon 
each  other, 

And  their  lips  were  white  with  terror  as  they  said,  The 

HOUR   HAS    come! 

10. 
The    morning    slowly    wasted,    not    a    morsel    had    we 

tasted, 
And  our  heads  were  almost  splitting  with   the  cannons' 

deafening  thrill, 
When  a  figure  tall  and  stately  round  the  rampart  strode 

sedately; 
It  was  Prescott,  one  since  told  me;  he  commanded  on 

the  hill. 

11. 

Every   woman's    heart    grew    bigger  when   we    saw   his 

manly  figure, 
With    the    banyan    buckled    round    it,   standing    up    so 

straight  and  tall ; 
Like   a   gentleman   of   leisure   who   is   strolling   out    for 

pleasure, 
Through  the  storm  of  shells  and  cannourshot  he  walked 
.  around  the  wall. 


394  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

12. 

At  eleven  the  streets  were  swarming,  for  the  red-coats' 
ranks  were  forming; 

At  noon  in  marching  order  they  were  nioviDg  to  the  piers ; 

How  the  bayonets  gleamed  and  glistened,  as  we  looked 
far  down  and  listened 

To  the  tramping  and  the  drum-beat  of  the  belted  gren- 
adiers ! 

10 
o. 

At  length  the  men  have  started,  with  a  cheer  (it  seemed 

faint-hearted), 
In   their   scarlet    regimentals,   with    their   knapsacks   on 

their  backs, 
And   the  reddening   rippling  water,  as  after  a  sea-fight's 

slaughter, 
Eound    the    barges    gliding   onward    blushed    like   blood 

along  their  tracks. 

14. 

So   they   crossed    to    the   other  border,   and   again   they 

formed  in  order; 
And  the  boats  came  back  fpr  soldiers,  came  for  soldiers,. 

soldiers  still: 
The   time   seemed    everlasting    to   us   women   faint   and 

fasting, — 
At  last  they're  moving,  marching,  marching  proudly  up 

the  hill. 

15. 

We  can  see  the  bright  steel  glancing  all  along  the  lines 

advancing — 
Now   the   front   rank   fire   a   volley — they   have    thrown 

away  their  shot; 
For   behind   their   earthwork   lying,   all   the   balls  above 

them  flying, 
Our  people  need  not  hurry ;  so  they  wait  and  answer  not. 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  395 

16. 

Then  the  Corporal,  our  old  cripple  (he  would  swear  some- 
times and  tipple), — 

He  had  heard  the  bullets  whistle  (in  the  old  French 
war)  before,— 

Calls  out  in  words  of  jeering,  just  as  if  they  all  were 
hearing, — 

And  his  wooden  leg  thumps  fiercely  on  the  dusty  belfry 
floor : — 

17. 

*'  Oh !    fire   away,   ye    villains,   and   earn   King   George's 

shillin's, 
But  ye  '11  waste  a  ton  of  powder  afore   a   '  rebel '   falls ; 
You  may  bang  the  dirt  and  welcome,  they  're  as  safe  as 

Dan'l  Malcolm 
Ten  feet  beneath  the  gravestone  that  you  've  splintered 
.    with  your  balls ! " 

18. 
In  the  hush  of  expectation,  in  the  awe  and  trepidation 
Of    tlie    dread    approaching    moment,    we    are   wellnigh 

breathless  all ; 
Though  the  rotten  bars  are  failing  on  the  rickety  belfry 

railing, 
We  are  crowding  up  against  them  like  the  waves  against 

a  wall. 

19. 
Just   a  glimpse  (the  air  is  clearer),  they  are  nearer, — 

nearer, — nearer. 
When  a  flash — a  curling  smoke-wreath — then  a  crash — 

the  steeple  shakes — 
The    deadly   truce   is   ended ;    the    tempest's   shroud    is 

rended ; 
Like   a  morning  mist  it  gathered,  like  a  thunder-cloud 

it  breaks !  _  . 


396  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

20. 
0  the  sight  our  eyes  discover  as  the  blue-black  smoke 

blows  over  ! 
The  red-coats  stretched  in  windrows  as  a  mower  rakes 

his  hay ; 
Here  a  scarlet  heap  is  lying,  there  a  headloug  crowd  is 

flying 
Like    a    billow   that   has   broken   and   is   shivered    into 

spray. 

21. 

Then  we  cried,  "  The  troops  are  routed !  they  are  beat — 

it  can't  be  doubted ! 
God  be  thanked,  the  fight  is  over!" — Ah!  the  grim  ol4 

soldier's  smile  ! 
"  Tell  us,  tell  us  why  you  look  so  ? "  (we  could  hardly 

speak,  we  shook  so),— 
''Are  they  beaten  ?   Are  they  beaten  ?   Aee  they  beaten  ?" 

— 'VWait  a  while." 

.22. 

0  the   trembling  and   the  terror  !   for  too   soon  we   saw 

our  error : 
They   are   baffled,   not   defeated;   we   have   driven   them 

back  in  vain, 
And   the   columns  that  were  scattered,  round   the  colors 

that  were  tattered, 
Toward  the  sullen  silent  fortress  turn  their  belted  breasts 

again. 

23. 

All  at  once,  as  we  are  gazing,  lo  the  roofs  of  Charles- 
town  blazing ! 

They  have  fired  the  harmless  village;  in  an  hour  it  will 
be  down ; 

The  Lord  in  heaven  confound  them,  rain  his  fire  and 
brimstone  round  them,— 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION.  397 

The  robbing,  murdering  red-coats  that  would  burn  a 
peaceful  town ! 

24. 

They  are  marching,  stern  and  solemn;   we  can  see  each 

massive  column 
As  they  near  the  naked   earth-mound  with  the,  slanting 

w^alls  so  steep. 
Have    our    soldiers    got   faint-hearted,   and   in    noiseless 

haste  departed  ? 
Are   they  panic-struck  and    helpless?     Are  they  palsied 

or  asleep  ? 

25. 

N'ow !  the  walls  they  're  almost  under !  scarce  a  rod  the 
foes  asunder  I 

ISTot  a  firelock  flashed  against  them!  up  the  earthwork 
they  will  swarm ! 

But  the  words  have  scarce  been  spoken,  when  the  omi- 
nous calm  is  broken. 

And  a  bellowing  crash  has  emptied  all  the  vengeance 
of  the  storm  I 

26. 
So   again,    with   murderous   slaughter,   pelted  backwards 

to  the  water, 
Fly  Pigot's    running    heroes    and    the    frightened    braves 

of  Howe : 
And   we    shout,  "  At    last    they  're    done  for,  it 's    their 

barges  they  have  run  for : 
They  are   beaten,  beaten,  beaten ;   and   the  battle  's  over 

now  I" 

27. 
And  we  looked,  poor  timid   creatures,  on  the   rough  old 

soldier's  features. 
Our  lips  afraid  to  question,  but  he  knew  what  we  would 

ask : 


398  SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

"  ISTot  sure,"  lie  said;  "keep  quiet, — once  more,  I  guess, 

they'll  try  it- 
Here  's  damnation  to  the  cut-throats  ! " — then  he  handed 

me  his  flask, 

28. 
Saying,   ''Gal,   you're   looking   shaky;    have   a   drop   of 

old  Jamaiky  ; 
1  'm   afeard   there  11   be   more   trouble   afore   tlie  job  is 

done ; " 
So  I  took  one  scorching    swallow;    dreadful   faint  I  felt 

and  hollow. 
Standing  there  from  early  morning  wdien  the  firing  was 

begun. 

29. 

All  through  those  hours  of  trial  I  had  watched  a  calm 
clock-dial. 

As  the  hands  kept  creeping,  creeping, — they  w^ere  creep- 
ing round  to  four, 

When  the  old  man  said,  "  They  're  forming  with  their 
bagonets  fixed  for  storming : 

It 's  the  death-grip  that  \s  a  coming, — they  will  try  the 
works  once  more." 

30. 

With  brazen  trumpets  blaring,  the  flames  behind  them 
glaring. 

The  deadly  wall  before  them,  in  close  array  they  come ; 

Still  onward,  upward  toiling,  like  a  dragon's  fold  un- 
coiling,— 

Like  the  rattlesnake's  shrill  warning  the  reverberating 
drum ! 

31. 

Over  heaps  all  torn  and  gory — shall  I  tell  the  fearful 
story, 


SCHOOL    ELOCUTION".  399 

How  tliey  surged  above  the  breastwork,  as  a  sea  breaks 
o'er  a  deck; 

How,  driven,  yet  scarce  defeated,  our  worn-out  men  re- 
treated, 

With  their  powder-horns  all  emptied,  like  the  swimmers 
from  a  wreck? 

32. 
It   has   all  been   told  and  painted ;  as  for  me,  they  say 

I  fainted, 
And   the  wooden-legged  old  Corporal   stumped  with  me 

down  the  stair : 
When  I  woke  from  dreams  affrighted,  the  evening  lamps 

were  lighted, — 
On    the   floor   a   youth  was   lying;    his   bleeding  breast 

was  bare. 

33. 
And  I  heard  through  all  the  flurry,  *' Send  for  Wakken! 

liurry !   hurry ! 
Tell  him  here 's  a  soldier  bleeding,  and  he  '11  come  and 

dress  his  wound!" 
Ah,  we  knew  not  till  the  morrow  told  its  tale  of  death 

and  sorrow. 
How  the  starlight  found  him  stiffened  on  the  dark  and 

bloody  ground. 

34. 

Who   the   youth   was,    what  his   name   was,   where   the 

place  from  which  he  came  was, 
Who   had    brought   him   from   the   battle,  and   had   left 

him  at  our  door. 
He  could    not  speak  to  tell  us;    but  'twas  one   of  our 

brave  fellows. 
As  the   liomespun  plainly  showed   us  which  the   dying 

soldier  wore. 


400  -SCHOOL    ELOCUTION. 

35. 

For   they  all   thought   he   was   dying,  as   they  gathered 

round  him  crying, — 
And  they  said,  "  0,  how  they  '11  miss  him  !"  and,  "  Wliat 

loill  his  mother  do  ? " 
Then,  his  eyelids  just  unclosing  like  a  child's    that    has 

been  dozing, 
He  faintly  murmured,  "Mother!" — and — I  saw  his  eyes 

were  blue. 

36. 
— "  Why,  grandma,  how  you  're  winking  !  " — Ah,  my  child, 

it  sets  me  thinking 
Of  a  story  not  like  this  one.     Well,  he  somehow  lived 

along ; 
So  we  came  to  know  each  other,  and  I  nursed  him  like 

a — mother. 
Till    at   last  he  stood  before  me,  tall,  and  rosy-cheeked, 

and  strong. 

,37.,      ' 

And  we  sometimes  walked  together  in  the  pleasant  sum- 
mer weather; 

— •"  Please  to  tell  us  what  his  name  was  ?  " — Just  your 
own,  my  little  dear. 

There 's  his  picture  Copley  painted :  we  became  so  well 
acquainted, 

That — in  short,  that 's  why  I  'm  grandma,  and  you  chil- 
dren all  are  here !  holmes. 


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